Space programs boost Defense Innovation Unit budget Congress boosted funding for a tactical imagery satellite program. (Eddie Young/Marine Corps) WASHINGTON Congress boosted the research and development budget of the Defense Innovation Unit by more than $20 million in its fiscal 2021 spending package sitting on the president’s desk. Lawmakers allocated $66.9 million in research, development, test and evaluation funds for DIU, a Pentagon office that fields commercial technology from nontraditional contractors to department components. That amount is nearly $27.5 million more than DIU’s request, and a huge increase over its 2020 $46.6 million RDT&E budget. Two space programs increased the DIU budget by $9.5 million, according to budget documents. The first increase was for DIU’s multi-orbit platform, which received a $4.5 million boost. The commercial prototype project looks at “in-space transportation and robotic platforms for on-orbit servicing, assembly and logist