California startup Elve has qualified its 100-watt millimeter-wave traveling wave tube amplifier family for spaceflight, a milestone achieved with U.S. Space Force Small Business Innovation Research funding. Elve, founded in 2020 by CEO Diana Gamzina, developed the amplifiers to lower system cost and increase bandwidth for satellite communications. The qualification confirms that the hardware meets the environmental conditions of space. The 100-watt traveling wave tube amplifiers operate at millimeter-wave frequencies, providing higher bandwidth and supporting high-data-rate links for satellite constellations. They also enable faster data delivery from imaging satellites to ground stations. Gamzina said the qualification applies to a family of 100-watt products and that an operational spacecraft demonstration is planned within a year. In-Q-Tel vice president of technology Abi Sivananathan said the milestone positions Elve’s amplifiers for rapid, proliferated missions critical to national security. Elve chief product officer Jennifer Salmon said the validation shows the hardware can operate in harsh space environments and supports scalable millimeter-wave power for modern architectures. Elve intends to complete an on-orbit demonstration later this year, which could expand high-capacity connectivity for space-based systems.