# Air Force Seeks Cislunar AI Software

The Department of the Air Force has issued an RFI seeking industry white papers on flight-ready commercial AI/ML software for autonomous cislunar spacecraft. The service is looking for mature capabilities for mission planning, trajectory optimization, predictive analytics, computer vision, and hazard avoidance—not a government-funded R&D effort. Responses are due **December 4, 2026 (23 days from November 11)**. Respondents should describe computing and power needs, in-orbit verification and update approaches, and safeguards; the Air Force favors solutions that can be demonstrated with little training, with initial software and simulation verification within 90 days of an Authority to Proceed and full flight qualification within 18 months.

- Companies with flight-proven or readily demonstrable autonomy software can use the RFI to present existing capabilities and inform potential future procurement requirements; the RFI itself is not a contract award or a funded development program.
- Respondents should address the four capability areas and provide the requested technical details on resource requirements, in-orbit verification and updates, and safeguards.
- Organizations planning a response should submit by **December 4, 2026** and explain how their software can meet the stated 90-day verification and 18-month qualification targets.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Defense & Military
**Topics:** Artificial Intelligence
**Published:** November 11, 2026

### Government Entities
- Department of the Air Force (DAF)

### Sources
- [Air Force wants AI for cislunar space vehicles | DefenseScoop](https://defensescoop.com/2026/11/10/air-force-wants-ai-for-cislunar-space-vehicles) - DefenseScoop
- [US Air Force Seeks AI Solutions for Autonomous Cislunar Spacecraft | Israel Defense](https://www.israeldefense.co.il/en/node/72672) - Israel Defense