NASA Artemis I Mission to Launch Solar Sailing Spacecraft for Asteroid Study; Les Johnson Quoted
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NASA Artemis I Mission to Launch Solar Sailing Spacecraft for Asteroid Study; Les Johnson Quoted

NASA will send its small spacecraft with solar sail propulsion to space as part of the Artemis I human exploration mission, which will mark the first integrated flight of the agency's Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft.

Les Johnson, principal technology investigator for the Artemis I mission at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, said in a statement published Wednesday the flight of the Near-Earth Asteroid Scout payload is partly meant to demonstrate the use of solar sailing spacecraft to reach new places and conduct science experiments.

The cubesat's aluminum-coated plastic film sail is designed to reflect sunlight and generate thrust to enable the spacecraft to accelerate and navigate through space for asteroid data-gathering efforts.

"This type of propulsion is especially useful for small, lightweight spacecraft that cannot carry large amounts of conventional rocket propellant," added Johnson.

Commenting on the cubesat mission, Dr. Jim Stott, NEA Scout technology project manager, said understanding properties of small asteroids could inform development strategies for diminishing the potential damage caused in the event of an impact to Earth.

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ISA Global Cybersecurity Alliance Launches Credentialing Program for First Responders; Megan Samford Quoted
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ISA Global Cybersecurity Alliance Launches Credentialing Program for First Responders; Megan Samford Quoted

The International Society of Automation Global Cybersecurity Alliance (ISAGCA) has introduced a program for certifying professionals who respond to cyber incidents in the public and private sectors.

The credential program builds on ISAGCA's collaboration with the Incident Command System for Industrial Control Systems, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and more than 50 companies who employ cybersecurity response teams, the alliance said Tuesday.

ICS4ICS, which was formed through a public-private partnership between ISAGCA and the Department of Homeland Security's ICS joint working group, applies a Federal Emergency Management Agency framework in efforts to guide organizations in managing security incidents in the cyber domain.

Megan Samford, chairperson of ISAGCA's advisory board and chief product security officer at Schneider Electric’s energy management group, said the alliance created an adjudication process and cleared four professionals that include herself.

The other certified cybersecurity first responders are:

  • Mark Bristow, branch chief of cyber defense coordination at CISA
  • Neal Gay, senior manager of managed defense and industrial control systems at FireEye
  • Brian Wisniewski, operations manager in NASA's cybersecurity services office and a commissioned officer of the U.S. Army Reserve.
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House Panel Offers Recommendations for Space Force via FY 2022 Budget Report
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House Panel Offers Recommendations for Space Force via FY 2022 Budget Report

The House Appropriations Committee has released a report calling for the U.S. Space Force to come up with a clear plan for its future system architectures based on “rigorous technical analysis with executable plans resourced by realistic budgets,” Breaking Defense reported Tuesday.

The House panel’s fiscal year 2022 budget report recommends that the Space Force reassess the organizational construct of the Space and Missile Systems Center.

The committee made the recommendations after it found that the Space Force and the U.S. Air Force failed to make clear progress in advancing space acquisition reform. The congressional report also cited the lack of an evidence-based plan for future space architecture.

The Space Force requested a budget of $2.77 billion for FY 2022 procurement, but House appropriators recommended a $25 million reduction from the proposed budget. The service proposed a budget of $11.26 billion for FY 2022 research, development, test and evaluation, but the House committee recommended an appropriation of $10.77 billion, reflecting a $492 million drop in proposed funds.

The House panel report also called on the Air Force “to simplify the decision chain from program managers to program executive officers to a service acquisition executive” and  “consider organizing units around mission-based program areas which correspond to their operational counterparts in Space Operations Command.”

Space Acquisition Forum

If you’re interested in the U.S. military’s space technology procurement efforts, then check out GovCon Wire’s Space Acquisition Forum coming up on Sept. 14th. To register for this virtual forum and view other upcoming events, visit the GCW Events page.

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FCC Finalizes Rules for Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program
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FCC Finalizes Rules for Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has adopted final rules for a program that seeks to reimburse telecommunications carriers for replacing or removing equipment and services that pose risks to national security.

FCC said Tuesday communications services providers with 10 million or fewer customers can participate in the $1.89 billion Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.

The move marks an increase in the customer eligibility cap for participation in the program, which previously applied to providers with 2 million or fewer customers.

The order will allow carriers to seek reimbursement funds for equipment and services procured, leased or obtained on or before June 30, 2020, and modify eligibility rules for communications services and equipment manufactured or provided by Huawei Technologies or ZTE.

The amended rules, which include clarifications to some requirements of the reimbursement program, will implement the prioritization scheme in the Consolidated Appropriations Act if the demand for reimbursement funding exceeds the congressional appropriations of $1.89 billion.

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Octo Consulting Acquires Volant Associates; Mehul Sanghani Quoted
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Octo Consulting Acquires Volant Associates; Mehul Sanghani Quoted

Octo announced on Tuesday that the company has acquired Volant Associates, a technology integrator and software development company, at the enterprise-scale information technology  (IT) solutions for the Defense Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) mission.

Octo’s CEO Mehul Sanghani commented, “For a number of years, we have admired the highly differentiated, technically complex, and impactful work performed by Volant. Through our teaming relationships that long predate this transaction, we have witnessed the impact of Volant’s technical expertise on our Intelligence Community (IC) and other related customers.

“Most importantly, Volant’s efforts have improved the national security community’s ability to quickly deliver tools, data, and mission effectiveness to real end-users. We are excited to have formalized the relationship with Volant, which demonstrates our dedication to serving our customers whose missions directly impact our nation,” added Sanghani.

Volant was founded in 2008 and enables data sharing, advanced analytics and enhanced mission capability across the IC and Department of Defense (DOD). The company was headquartered in Chantilly, Virginia.

“Volant and Octo have a similar client base and serve complimentary missions within the community. We already know each other and have built a mutual respect for each other’s work through side-by-side customer delivery,” stated Sam Stollar, Octo general manager, IC and Air Force.

“We have been consistently impressed by the caliber of the Volant leadership team and technical staff, as well as the immediate opportunities enabled by this coming together of like businesses. We look forward to excellent things to come for our employees and our customers,” added Stollar.

Volant’s leadership will remain with the company and head a new division within Octo’s IC and Air Force Business Unit. They will work to drive growth and customer success at DIA and NR.

Eric Mohney, Volant Associates’ CEO, said, “Octo has a fantastic reputation for putting their clients’ mission ahead of all else and bringing to bear the best solutions and practices available in the commercial and government IT space while taking great care of their employees. That reputation resonated with Volant, and we feel very well aligned culturally.”

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Army Organizations Seek Network Modernization White Papers for Capability Set 25
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Army Organizations Seek Network Modernization White Papers for Capability Set 25

The U.S. Army's Network Cross-Functional Team and Program Executive Office for Command, Control and Communications-Tactical have requested capabilities that would help modernize the military service's networks.

The Army said on July 6th that submitted white papers must detail modernization technologies that would tackle three specific topic areas for the upcoming Capability Set 25.

The service is interested in proposals for command, control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Open Suite of Standards radio technologies, satellite communications modernization capabilities, and artificial intelligence-powered logistics software.

Interested companies must submit white papers no later than June 20 through the Technical Exchange Meeting Industry Community within the Joint Communications Marketplace.

CS25 is among a set of Army packages designed to enable the U.S. military's Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2) concept.

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Missile Defense Agency Begins Experiment on Small Satellites
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Missile Defense Agency Begins Experiment on Small Satellites

Two CubeSat small satellites operated by the Missile Defense Agency linked with ground stations as part of a communications experiment.

MDA said Monday its CubeSat Networked Communications Experiment aims to demonstrate how nanosatellites can establish radio communications in orbit. CNCE is part of MDA's larger Nanosat Testbed Initiative.

The agency believes this communications approach has the potential to significantly augment missile defense technology.

CNCE's first block will demonstrate communications for software-defined radios, ad hoc networks and situations where antennas aren't optimally positioned. The effort will also test how small satellites can exhibit formation flying.

VOX Space, a Virgin Orbit subsidiary, launched the pair of CubeSats on a LauncherOne rocket through the Department of Defense's Space Test Program, which offers ridesharing arrangements.

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Comcast Government Services Secures Two DISA CEG Contracts; Ken Folderauer Quoted
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Comcast Government Services Secures Two DISA CEG Contracts; Ken Folderauer Quoted

Comcast Business announced on Tuesday that Comcast Government Services has secured two additional multimillion-dollar contracts by the Defense Information Systems Agency. The contracts cover DISA’s commercial ethernet gateway (CEG) Region 4 and Region 5 and are potentially worth $84.2 million and $71.6 million up to ten years, respectively.

The contracts are a part of the DISA’s efforts to replace legacy circuits across the country with ethernet-based services that improve network performance and reduce total telecommunications costs.

“DISA’s commercial ethernet gateway initiative is an important step in improving the Department of Defense’s communication with mission partners while furthering its vision to be the trusted provider to connect and protect the warfighter in cyberspace,” commented Ken Folderauer, Comcast Business vice president of Government Sales.

“We are proud to play our part in helping DISA realize its vision by expanding this partnership across four of its seven regions,” added Folderauer.

The contracts require Comcast Government Services to assist DISA in establishing commercial ethernet gateways by delivering ethernet virtual private line (EVPL) service. The company’s EVPL service helps strengthen application performance across a network with a private, point-to-multipoint network design between multiple locations.

The EVPL offers performance enhancements compared to legacy wide area networks (WAN) technologies such as T1 lines, frame relay, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) and private lines.

Comcast has now landed four of the seven CEG regions totaling more than $267 million. The Company won Region 1 in March 2020 and CEG Region 3 in June 2021.

DISA is responsible for operating and assuring information-sharing capabilities, command and control solutions and a global enterprise infrastructure supporting the Department of Defense and national-level leadership, such as the president, vice president and secretary of defense.

The Agency is currently working on a multi-phase initiative to replace 17,000 point-to-point public switched telephone (PSTN) circuits with Ethernet-based services across the country that enhance connectivity, improve network performance and reduce total telecommunications costs.

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USAF Squadron Licenses Software Vulnerability Detection Code to 2 Companies; Rebecca Lively Quoted
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USAF Squadron Licenses Software Vulnerability Detection Code to 2 Companies; Rebecca Lively Quoted

The U.S. Air Force's 90th Cyberspace Operations Squadron agreed to license a source code for malicious file detection and form a collaborative research partnership with two unnamed companies to further develop the tool, C4ISRNET reported Tuesday.

Ccooperative research and development agreements signed by the military branch will allow industry partners to update and commercialize Whiddler software, which 90 COS personnel created to determine the probability of a signature-less file being a malicious item.

“Through that cooperative agreement, we are able to reap the benefits of those improvements at no cost to the government or at least to now cost to our unit," Rebecca Lively, deputy director of the 90 COS, was quoted as saying by C4ISRNET.

Eric Rosenberg, chief of cyber intellectual property law at the Air Force's 67th Cyberspace Wing, told the publication that the branch could help the private sector guard businesses and consumers against cyber threats via the technology transfer process.

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Executive Order Calls for Agencies to Implement Pro-Competitive Regulations to Procurement, Spending
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Executive Order Calls for Agencies to Implement Pro-Competitive Regulations to Procurement, Spending

President Joe Biden signed Friday an executive order that directs federal agencies to adopt pro-competitive approaches and regulations to spending and procurement and revoke “regulations that create unnecessary barriers to entry” to address monopolization, overconcentration and unfair competition in the U.S. economy, Government Executive reported Monday.

Under the executive order, the secretary of the Department of Defense should submit to the chair of the newly created White House Competition Council a report on the state of competition in the defense industrial base and propose recommendations on how to improve the solicitation process in accordance with the Competition in Contracting Act of 1984.

The DOD secretary should come up within 180 days a plan to avoid contract terms in procurement agreements that make it difficult for DOD and service personnel to repair their own equipment in the field.

The assistant to the president for economic policy and director of the National Economic Council will lead the White House Competition Council. The secretaries of the departments of the Treasury, Defense, Agriculture, Health and Human Services, Commerce, Agriculture, Labor and Transportation, attorney general and the office of information and regulatory affairs’ administrator will serve as the council’s members.

The order also includes specific policy and regulatory considerations for the heads of the Federal Communications Commission, Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Federal Maritime Commission and the Surface Transportation Board.

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