Viridian Space Corp

Viridian Space Corp, a small business based in El Segundo, California, develops air-breathing electric propulsion systems for ultra-low Earth orbit satellites and operates exclusively as a prime contractor on research and development contracts and grants with federal defense and civilian agencies. The company competes under small business set-asides across its federal footprint, with no subcontractor relationships in the source data.

Viridian's capability portfolio centers on air-breathing electric propulsion (ABEP) and air-scooping electric thruster (ASET) technology for very low Earth orbit (VLEO) operations between 200 and 300 kilometers altitude. The company's work enables satellites to refuel directly from Earth's atmosphere, supporting extended mission life, lower-altitude Earth observation, satellite broadband communication, space servicing, and orbital debris mitigation. Recent representative contracts include a $2.346 million definitive contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency awarded January 28, 2026, for the Embedded Entrepreneur Initiative with a minimum viable product option (base $350,000 over twelve months; optional MVP phase extending to twenty-four months through January 27, 2029); a $1.687 million Phase II Small Business Innovation Research contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory awarded October 1, 2025, for ABEP system maturation through comprehensive design and analysis (completion April 1, 2027); and a $1.247 million Air Force Research Laboratory purchase order awarded July 30, 2025, for air-breathing electric propulsion development with oxygen resilience for VLEO operations (completion June 14, 2027). Viridian also holds an Air Force Research Laboratory SBIR Phase I contract valued at $74,654 awarded January 17, 2025, for space vehicle optimization in VLEO with air-breathing electric propulsion, and a $274,951 National Science Foundation Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships project grant awarded August 1, 2023, supporting air-breathing electric propulsion research for reusable satellites (completion March 31, 2024).

Customer concentration is narrow and defense-heavy. The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) accounts for six awards totaling $3.3 million combined potential value across multiple SBIR phases and one standard purchase order; the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency holds one award valued at $2.3 million; and the National Science Foundation one grant. Activity has grown from one award in 2022 to three in 2025, with two awards (combined potential value $2.9 million) reaching completion within the next twenty-four months and facing recompete exposure. All eight awards in the source data carry small business set-asides, distributed across Total Small Business designations under SBIR Phase I, Phase II, and STTR Phase I programs, plus firm fixed-price DARPA commercialization funding. Work is categorized under research and development in physical, engineering, and life sciences (six awards) and guided missile and space vehicle propulsion unit manufacturing (one award).