Auria Space CEO Damian DiPippa Wins 2026 Wash100 Award for Driving Space & Cyber Innovation
Executive Mosaic honors Auria Space CEO Damian DiPippa with the 2026 Wash100 Award, a prestigious honor presented each year to the top 100 government and industry executives recognized for their leadership, innovation and impact across the government contracting industry.
“I am honored to be recognized alongside leaders from industry and government who are shaping the future of our nation,” said DiPippa.
“At Auria, I have the privilege of leading a remarkable team of innovators united by a shared mission: to redefine what’s possible in command, control, and communications from orbit to the tactical edge. Together, we are advancing resilient, technology-driven solutions that not only enhance performance and reliability, but also strengthen the strategic advantage and mission readiness of our government and commercial partners,” he continued.
DiPippa’s first-ever Wash100 Award recognizes his leadership in advancing critical defense capabilities through space domain awareness, cyber, and artificial intelligence-driven autonomous tools, as well as in driving the rapid growth of Auria Space within the GovCon sector.
“I’m pleased to award Damian his first Wash100 Award and welcome him into this exclusive group of the most significant and impactful executives in GovCon. Damian is a well-known figure from his executive experience and achievement at Northrop Grumman, MANTECH and Aretum,” said Jim Garrettson, Executive Mosaic CEO and Wash100 Award founder.
“Whether he’s securing impressive contracts from the Space Force for real-time command and control, or from the Navy for autonomous defensive cyber operations, Damian is an expert in building sophisticated systems for use in some of the most complex and high-stakes environments. Damian has quickly grown Auria Space into one of GovCon’s fastest rising firms and I predict that trajectory will continue this year,” Garrettson added.
Support Damian DiPippa in the 2026 Wash100 Popular Vote Competition at Wash100.com.
Who Is Damian DiPippa?
Damian DiPippa is a veteran GovCon industry executive with a career spanning aerospace operations, mission engineering, IT systems and missile defense, with deep expertise in satellite operations and avionics. Over several decades, he has built a reputation for launching and scaling complex technology organizations that support U.S. government and intelligence community missions.
DiPippa joined Auria Space as CEO in June 2024, marking what is considered his “most promising venture” to date.
Previously, DiPippa served as CEO of Aretum, guiding the company through multiple acquisitions and growth initiatives. He was the founding CEO of Arcfield, a systems engineering and mission support company spun out of Peraton, helping establish its strategy, workforce and technical capabilities as a new independent provider. He also played a central role in the $7 billion Perspecta sale and transition to Peraton ownership, guiding the organization through a period of structural change.
Throughout his career, he has held senior leadership positions at major government contractors, including Northrop Grumman and its TASC subsidiary, ManTech and Engility. In these roles, he managed large portfolios supporting space and intelligence programs while overseeing the delivery of advanced technologies to defense and intelligence community customers.
DiPippa began his career as an aerospace engineer, working on missile and satellite technologies for the U.S. Strategic Defense Initiative, the precursor to today’s Missile Defense Agency.
Why Is Damian DiPippa Winning the 2026 Wash100 Award?
Damian DiPippa’s selection as a 2026 Wash100 Award winner is a testament to his thriving leadership and commitment to advancing innovation in space technology. Since joining Auria, he has spearheaded a growth strategy centered on developing new space technologies that protect and optimize space operations, with a strong focus on enhancing cybersecurity for critical space assets. He has also prioritized expanding core capabilities, delivering premier engineering and operational support, and pursuing strategic acquisitions to broaden both technology and market reach.
Space Contracts & Satellite Operations Wins
Under DiPippa’s leadership, Auria Space secured multiple contract awards, supporting U.S. defense missions in space operations and cybersecurity.
In June 2025, the company received an $8.1 million Joint Antenna Marketplace prototype contract from the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command to help develop a secure, cloud-based application designed to enable dynamic satellite operations and more responsive satellite contact management.
In October 2024, Auria won a four-year contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory to mature its Satellite Fusion, Inference and Reasoning Engine, or SaFIRE, onboard architecture, including experiments to verify its autonomous planning capabilities to strengthen satellite resiliency and space domain awareness.
Cybersecurity & AI Platform Advancements
Auria Space also advanced its cyber capabilities during the year. The company integrated network detection and response capability into its Cognitive Autonomous Artificial System Intelligence platform in January 2025 and delivered the platform’s minimum viable product to Naval Sea Systems Command in August to support defensive cyber operations. In addition, Auria introduced the Cyntros network detection and response platform powered by AI and machine learning. The platform was reported to be 97 percent effective against known exploited vulnerabilities identified by Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
Key Acquisitions Strengthen C3 & Satellite Portfolio
Building on its contract wins and technological advancements, Auria Space expanded through strategic acquisitions. In early 2026, the company acquired RKF Engineering Solutions and Kythera Space Solutions to enhance satellite communications and software offerings. Soon after, BCubed Engineering joined Auria Space, boosting its hardware and software-defined command, control and communications, or C3, capabilities and growing the workforce to over 500 across multiple U.S. locations.
What Is Auria Space?
Auria Space is a U.S. aerospace and defense company DiPippa described as “a very agile and responsive mid-tier solutions provider formed through the consolidation of legacy companies having decades of experience in space-, missile- and cyber-related missions.” Headquartered in Colorado Springs, the company develops advanced systems and software to support complex space operations, missile defense, satellite communications and national security missions.
Executive Mosaic congratulates Damian DiPippa and the entire Auria Space team on this outstanding accomplishment.
Support Damian DiPippa for the 2026 Wash100 popular vote competition by casting your vote at Wash100.com!
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