What TAP Lab does

The OPIR TAP Lab (TAP Lab) is a U.S. Government technology laboratory operated under the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force at Buckley Space Force Base in Aurora/Boulder, Colorado. Its mission is to advance the capability and utility of remote sensing data through innovation by providing an open and inclusive environment for developers, facilitating proof-of-concept and utility assessments, and operationally fielding revolutionary capability to the defense community. The facility offers access to classified computing infrastructure at multiple security classification levels, processes infrared and visible imagery from SBIRS, DSP, DMSP, and VIIRS satellite sensors, and supports mission areas including space surveillance, missile warning, missile defense, and battlespace characterization. Core products include the OPIR TAP Lab collaborative environment itself, a Remote Sensing Data Processing Platform (data management, processing, exploitation, and dissemination), a Developer Environment with open framework data architecture enabling third-party application development, and recurring Quarterly Overview Briefings gated to Secret clearance for industry engagement.

The business model is not commercial in the conventional sense: the facility does not charge for access and does not directly award contracts. Instead, the lab functions as a demonstration and validation platform from which successful technologies are transitioned to operational programs of record via official contracting vehicles such as SpEC Consortium, SpaceWERX Challenge Program, and SAM.gov (including SBIR/STTR pathways). Commercial revenue mechanics for the facility itself are not disclosed; the documented indirect revenue flow is the inaugural SpaceWERX Open Topic SBIR award to partner BosonQ Psi Federal LLC (BQP) on July 17, 2026, to develop Physics-Constrained Quantum-Assisted Machine Learning for space surveillance, deployed on NVIDIA Jetson Nano hardware. Customer engagement is exclusively federal and defense-focused, with named operational counterparts including Delta 4 operations units (2 SWS, 11 SWS, 26 IS, 5 SWS, 3 SCS), and collaborative relationships with NOAA (DMSP on-orbit support) and Raytheon (VIIRS sensor manufacturer) supplying the underlying data feeds.

Name

TAP Lab

Legal name

OPIR TAP Lab

Website

https://boulderlab.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

OPIR TAP Lab is a U.S. Air Force/Space Force government facility at Buckley Space Force Base, Colorado, that provides classified computing infrastructure and remote sensing data access to third-party developers, universities, and research firms for space surveillance, missile warning, and battlespace characterization innovation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Boulder

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Federal R&D Contracts: The lab supports federal innovation programs including SBIR/STTR contracts through SpaceWERX. Companies can secure inaugural federal contracts by demonstrating technology capabilities at the lab, such as the SpaceWERX Open Topic Small Business Innovation Research program.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The OPIR TAP Lab is a U.S. Government collaborative laboratory facility at Buckley Space Force Base in Colorado that provides open and inclusive access to Remote Sensing data sources (SBIRS, DSP, DMSP, VIIRS) at multiple classification levels. It enables developers, researchers, universities, and third-party organizations to conduct proof-of-concept assessments, build applications, and transition successful capabilities into operational Air Force and Space Force programs for space surveillance, missile warning, and battlespace characterization missions.

Product overview

OPIR TAP Lab is a single, unified collaborative platform for advancing Remote Sensing data capability and utility. The core offering is the OPIR TAP Lab environment, which provides developers and third-party organizations with open access to satellite infrared data sources (SBIRS, DSP, DMSP, VIIRS), processing infrastructure, and a collaborative developer framework. Supporting modules include the Remote Sensing Data Processing Platform for data management and exploitation, a Developer Environment with open framework data architecture for application development, and Quarterly Overview Briefings for industry engagement. The lab operates as a proving ground where external developers can build proof-of-concept applications and transition successful capabilities into operational use.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• OPIR TAP Lab A collaborative laboratory environment at a U.S. Government facility in Colorado that provides open and inclusive access to Remote Sensing data, enabling developers, researchers, and third-party organizations to conduct proof-of-concept assessments, build applications, and field operational capabilities in space surveillance and infrared sensing domains for U.S. Air Force and Space Force operational units.
• Remote Sensing Data Processing Platform Provides data management, processing, exploitation, and dissemination capabilities for satellite infrared and visible imagery data from sources including SBIRS, DSP, DMSP, and VIIRS, supporting missile warning, missile defense, and battlespace characterization missions for U.S. Air Force and Space Force users.

Quantifiable outcome

• AI model parameters reduced from 14 million to 2,000 while maintaining over 99% accuracy
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BosonQ Psi Federal LLC (BQP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 July 2026BosonQ Psi Federal LLC secured its inaugural federal contract through the SpaceWERX Open Topic Small Business Innovation Research program on July 17, 2026, to develop Physics-Constrained Quantum-Assisted Machine Learning applications for space surveillance. The technology was successfully deployed on an NVIDIA Jetson Nano in the BMC3I TAP LAB, demonstrating the lab's role as a platform for emerging technology validation and transition to operations.
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNOAA provides on-orbit operations support for the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP), which is one of the data sources processed by the OPIR TAP Lab for meteorological, oceanographic, and solar-terrestrial physics monitoring.
• Raytheon CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRaytheon Company designed and manufactured the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) sensor on board the Suomi NPP weather satellite. The OPIR TAP Lab processes VIIRS data as one of its data sources.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• L3Harris Technologies: Major defense prime with significant space and intelligence programs including space surveillance payloads, ground processing, and analytics. Comparable in mission overlap and serves as both a competitor and a likely integration partner for TAP Lab-validated capabilities.
• Ball Aerospace (BAE Systems): Builds space-based instruments and satellites including weather and earth-sensing payloads that feed remote sensing analytics programs. Comparable in adjacent data and sensor mission, and a potential source of new data streams for TAP Lab's processing environment.
• MIT Lincoln Laboratory: Federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) that develops advanced technology for national security, including space surveillance and missile warning. A strong functional peer to TAP Lab, operating a similar model of applied R&D in service of DoD and intelligence community missions.
• Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL): The U.S. Air Force's primary scientific research organization conducting basic and applied research across aerospace, sensors, and space. A direct institutional peer to TAP Lab as a government research entity serving the same customer, but operating at vastly greater scale across many mission areas.
• Northrop Grumman (Space Systems): Prime contractor operating SBIRS and next-generation OPIR missile warning satellites, plus related ground processing. Functionally aligned with TAP Lab's mission area and a downstream customer/partnership target for technologies demonstrated at the lab.

Direct peers

• Slingshot Aerospace: Provides AI-enabled space domain awareness, space traffic management, and missile warning analytics for government and commercial customers. Overlaps with TAP Lab's infrared and multi-sensor processing mission and is a leading commercial alternative for the same Space Force buyers.
• LeoLabs: Commercial space domain awareness provider operating a global radar network to track objects in low Earth orbit. Directly comparable to TAP Lab in mission focus (orbital object identification and tracking), but delivered commercially without the Secret clearance barrier, making it the most relevant functional peer.
• ExoAnalytic Solutions: Specializes in space domain awareness using optical and infrared sensor networks, providing tracking, threat warning, and characterization services to DoD and intelligence customers. Closely comparable to TAP Lab's infrared surveillance mission and a frequent competitor for space surveillance dollars.

Emerging players

• Anduril Industries: Defense technology company building AI-enabled hardware and software across autonomous systems, sensing, and space. Overlaps with TAP Lab's AI/ML for surveillance and battlespace characterization, though Anduril delivers integrated commercial products rather than operating a government laboratory.
• Parsons Corporation: Defense and intelligence contractor with growing space domain awareness, missile warning, and multi-domain analytics capabilities. Comparable in delivering processing and exploitation services to the same Space Force and intelligence customers, and active in similar transition/procurement pathways.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bouldertaplab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about TAP Lab