8/22/25, 9:45 AM Anduril, Blue Origin to study how to transport cargo from orbit to Earth for the Pentagon

bit to Earth for the Pentagon | TechCrunch

Latest Security

Startups AI

Venture Apps

Apple

Events

Podcasts

Newsletters

Advertisement

SPACE
✕
Advertisement

https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/21/anduril-blue-origin-to-study-how-to-transport-cargo-from-orbit-to-earth-for-the-pentagon/ 1/7
8/22/25, 9:45 AM Anduril, Blue Origin to study how to transport cargo from orbit to Earth for the Pentagon | TechCrunch

Anduril, Blue Origin to study how to

transport cargo from orbit to Earth for
the Pentagon

Aria Alamalhodaei 3:11 PM PDT · August 21, 2025

IMAGE CREDITS: AIR FORCE RESEARCH LABORATORY

Blue Origin and Anduril have landed new study contracts with the U.S. Air
Force to explore how their technology, including rockets, could move
military cargo around the world.

The contracts under the Air Force’s Rocket Cargo program are relatively
small — Blue Origin’s comes in at $1.37 million and Anduril’s at $1 million.
But they could be the first steps in revolutionizing how the Pentagon
transports cargo. Study contracts like these are also a strong signal as to
which players will later compete for larger-dollar funding.

Anduril’s contract is especially intriguing and suggests the defense

startup is making forays into an entirely new business line.

Advertisement

The two awards fall under the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory’s Rocket
Experimentation for Global Agile Logistics (REGAL) program. Blue Origin
did not respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment, and an Anduril
spokesperson directed TechCrunchAdvertisement
to AFRL.
https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/21/anduril-blue-origin-to-study-how-to-transport-cargo-from-orbit-to-earth-for-the-pentagon/ 2/7
8/22/25, 9:45 AM Anduril, Blue Origin to study how to transport cargo from orbit to Earth for the Pentagon | TechCrunch

REGAL is the experimentation arm of AFRL’s larger Rocket Cargo program,

which is focused on “delivery as a service” via orbital transport. The Air
Force wants to procure these capabilities via service-type contracts,
similar to how the DoD contracts commercial airlines. The aim of the
REGAL program is to prove out commercial, reusable rockets, reentry
systems, and cargo transportation systems to enable deliveries to remote
or hard-to-reach theaters in less than an hour.

While there isn’t much public information about REGAL’s scope of work or
timeline, the requests for proposals that underlie the awards contain
some interesting information.

Blue Origin’s contract, according to the sparse award listing, is for an

analysis of how its tech could support “point-to-point material
transportation.” The listed place of performance is Merritt Island, Florida,
Blue Origin’s home on the Space Coast and where it is developing the
heavy-lift New Glenn rocket.

Anduril’s design study contract, which also falls under REGAL, was
awarded under a separate call for proposals called “Payload Reentry from
Space Development and Demonstrations.”

Tech and VC heavyweights join the Disrupt 2025 agenda

Netflix, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital, Elad Gil — just a
few of the heavy hitters joining the Disrupt 2025 agenda.
They’re here to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth
and sharpen your edge. Don’t miss the 20th anniversary of
TechCrunch Disrupt, and a chance to learn from the top
voices in tech — grab your ticket now and save up to $600+
before prices rise.
San Francisco | October 27-29, 2025

REGISTER NOW

Cutting through the jargon, the proposal implies Anduril will study how to
develop a reentry container that can carry between five tons to 10 tons of
Advertisement
payload from Earth and back. The listing, which can be viewed
https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/21/anduril-blue-origin-to-study-how-to-transport-cargo-from-orbit-to-earth-for-the-pentagon/ 3/7
8/22/25, 9:45 AM Anduril, Blue Origin to study how to transport cargo from orbit to Earth for the Pentagon | TechCrunch

on SAM.gov, emphasized that the container needs to work with different

rocks and the study should propose a thermal protection system.
Anduril’s “payload container,” as the listing calls it, should integrate
multiple government-defined payloads and work across platforms.

Reentry is a notoriously difficult problem to solve in spaceflight.

Developing materials that can survive atmospheric reentry, and a
container that doesn’t completely destroy the contents involved, is a
challenge. A handful of startups, like Varda Space Industries, have
developed reentry capsules for in-space manufacturing, and SpaceX’s
Dragon capsule brings back cargo and astronauts from the ISS. But
overall, the number of vendors that can deliver this capability is limited.

The news of the two contracts, which haven’t been reported, follows on
Rocket Lab’s own REGAL contract that was announced earlier this year.
That contract explicitly has a flight demonstration step, though AFRL
hasn’t released other details on that award, like the amount.

Advertisement

If rocket cargo services mature, the Pentagon could buy “delivery as a

service,” with massive loads riding a commercial heavy rocket and
returning to Earth inside a capsule for quick offload. Long-term, AFRL said
the program could even include point-to-point transportation of humans.

We’re always looking to evolve, and by providing some insight into your
perspective and feedback into TechCrunch and our coverage and events,
you can help us! Fill out this survey to let us know how we’re doing and get
the chance to win a prize in return!
Advertisement

https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/21/anduril-blue-origin-to-study-how-to-transport-cargo-from-orbit-to-earth-for-the-pentagon/ 4/7
8/22/25, 9:45 AM Anduril, Blue Origin to study how to transport cargo from orbit to Earth for the Pentagon | TechCrunch

Topics: Air Force anduril Blue Origin Space

Aria Alamalhodaei
Repor ter, Space and Defense

Aria Alamalhodaei covers the space and defense industries at TechCrunch. Previously, she
covered the public utilities and the power grid for California Energy Markets. You can also fin…

View Bio

Advertisement

October 27-29, 2025 San Francisco

Put your brand in front of 10,000+ tech
and VC leaders across all three days of
Disrupt 2025. Amplify your reach, spark
real connections, and lead the innovation
charge. Secure your exhibit space before
your competitor does.

Book Your Table

Most Popular
Advertisement

https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/21/anduril-blue-origin-to-study-how-to-transport-cargo-from-orbit-to-earth-for-the-pentagon/ 5/7
8/22/25, 9:45 AM Anduril, Blue Origin to study how to transport cargo from orbit to Earth for the Pentagon | TechCrunch

Google launches a new Pixel

Journal app

Appeals court says NLRB

structure unconstitutional, in a
win for SpaceX

Why Paradigm built a spreadsheet

with an AI agent in every cell

HR giant Workday says hackers

stole personal data in recent
breach

How your solar rooftop became a

national security issue

A comprehensive list of 2025 tech

layoffs

NASA has sparked a race to

develop the data pipeline to Mars

Loading the next article

TechCrunch

Staff

Contact Us

Advertise
Advertisement

https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/21/anduril-blue-origin-to-study-how-to-transport-cargo-from-orbit-to-earth-for-the-pentagon/ 6/7
8/22/25, 9:45 AM Anduril, Blue Origin to study how to transport cargo from orbit to Earth for the Pentagon | TechCrunch

Crunchboard Jobs

Site Map

Terms of Service

Privacy Policy

RSS Terms of Use

Pixel 10

Made by Google

Grok

Meta Solar

GPT-5

Tech Layoffs

ChatGPT

© 2025 TechCrunch Media LLC.

Advertisement

https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/21/anduril-blue-origin-to-study-how-to-transport-cargo-from-orbit-to-earth-for-the-pentagon/ 7/7