Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is preparing to integrate a pair of multi-manifest satellite vehicles that would gather data for future technology development.

The Space-Based Infrared System GEO-5 satellite will carry Technology Demonstration Orbiters 3 and 4, which contain several payloads for U.S. Air Force Academy, Los Angeles Air Force Base said Monday.

The Launch Enterprise Mission Manifest Office within the U.S. Space Force's Space and Missile Systems Center delivered TDO-3 and TDO-4 to Cape Canaveral. Input gathered by both TDOs will inform the development of new military technologies and applications.

USSF and its partners from NASA and the space industry designed, developed and tested both TDO vehicles over a span of nine months. Parsons produced an integrated flight system for the two vehicles.

Both vehicles will be released to a Geo Transfer Orbit before fully separating from SBIRS GEO-5.

Two organizations within the Department of Defense (DOD) partnered to automate financial transactions via machine learning technology, FedScoop reported Tuesday.

The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC) infused robotic process automation (RPA) with machine learning to enable complex transaction tasks. 

These complex tasks include tracking unmatched or wrongly labeled transactions, a problem that DOD says takes too much time. Eric Dorsey, a program manager for DIU's AI portfolio, said DOD has been using RPAs that are limited to basic “if-then-else” applications.

ML augments RPA with processed information based on financial data. This allows RPA to perform more complex tasks, such as correcting unmatched transactions.

Akima announced on Thursday that its subsidiary Akima Global Technology has received an ISO/IEC 20000-1:2018 certification to demonstrate the company’s success and ability to manage the end-to-end delivery of IT services for government customers.

“Our focus at AGT is not only supporting the IT needs of our customers but also delivering increased value,” said Juvy McCarthy, president of Akima’s Technology Solutions and Products Group.

ISO/IEC 20000-1:2018 is an international standard for IT service management that defines requirements for the development, implementation, monitoring, maintenance, and improvement of an IT service management system.

“I am proud of the work the team put in to achieve this certification, and the assurance it offers that our customers’ service requirements will be fulfilled efficiently and reliably,” said Bob Huebner, general manager of Akima Global Technology.

With their latest certification, this marks the second Akima subsidiary to receive this certification in 2021. Back in Feb., Cloud Lake Technology also announced the certification to recognize their best-in-class approach to deliver complex IT service management to customers.

AGT also received its appraisal at maturity level 3 of the CMMI Institute’s Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) Version 2.0 (CMMI V2.0) for Development and Services,  demonstrating the company’s proactive approach and commitment to delivering high-quality products and services.

About Akima Global Technology 

Akima Global Technology is a small business wholly owned by Akima, an Alaska Native Corporation,  delivering trusted technology services and solutions for the federal government and commercial customers. AGT provides the swiftest and most secure path to IT service optimization, continuously explores new technologies, and partners with leading-edge commercial enterprises to deliver unique and innovative IT solutions.

Comtech Telecommunications Corp. (NASDAQ: CMTL), a world leader in secure wireless communication technologies, announced today, that during its third quarter of fiscal 2021, its Location Technologies group, a division of Comtech’s Commercial Solutions segment, has finalized a $9.8 million contract with a major tier-one mobile network operator. This contract is for a broad suite of new capabilities and services centered around virtualized applications and 5G products.

“We continue to mutually benefit from the relationship with this customer, and we are already planning additional enhancements for their applications and services,” said Fred Kornberg, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Comtech Telecommunications Corp. “Our proven track record of long-term service to this customer creates stability and value for their end subscribers.”

The Location Technologies group of Comtech Telecommunications Corp. is a leading provider of precise device location, mapping and messaging solutions for public safety, mobile network operators, and enterprise solutions.

The Department of Homeland Security has partnered with Fortem Technologies to evaluate the potential application of a company-built airspace monitoring system to border security missions under a cooperative research and development agreement.

Fortem said Tuesday it will present the SkyDome System with aerial object detection technology to DHS’ Air Domain Awareness and Protection program for a demonstration test across multiple operational scenarios in three U.S. states bordering Canada.

Skydome includes the artificial intelligence-based TrueView radar and software designed to track nefarious drones in real time.

Timothy Bean, CEO of Fortem, said the company designed its radar technology to defend against drones that do not emit radio frequency signals and pose national security risks.

DHS’ ADA effort seeks surveillance platforms and approaches to protect the U.S.’ northern border from unmanned aircraft systems and other airborne threats.

The department will use data from the test to form requirements for future aerial security programs.

The Federal Risk and Authorization Program (FedRAMP) is permitting remote testing of certain data centers run by cloud service providers. 

Third-party assessment organizations or 3PAOs may be allowed to remotely conduct security testing of data centers for annual and initial assessment authorizations in accordance with the COVID-19 pandemic safety guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a FedRAMP blog post published Tuesday.

FedRAMP calls on 3PAOs to refer to local or state health agencies for updates with regard to travel, stay-at-home orders, testing and quarantine requirements and seek permission from the authorizing official and outline their request prior to conducting remote assessments.

“All remote testing must be explicitly detailed in the Security Assessment Plan (SAP) as well as any test cases used and any modifications to the test cases that were made to facilitate the remote testing,” the blog post states.

The Department of Energy (DOE) has allocated $10 million for quantum information science and nuclear physics research and encouraged the industry, academia, national laboratories and nonprofits to apply for funding to study related areas of interest.

The initiative aims to address nuclear physics challenges, such as many-body system dynamics prediction and quantum sensor exploration, by advancing foundational and use-inspired QIS studies, DOE said Thursday.

Understanding how the current superconducting quantum bits are affected by radiation is another nuclear physics challenge that DOE wants to address through QIS research.

Timothy Hallman, associate director of science for nuclear physics at DOE, said QIS research is a national priority and the nuclear science community has the expertise and capabilities to support the effort.

"A key objective of this program is to identify and capitalize on unique opportunities to advance both QIS and nuclear science research in ways that align with the national strategy for QIS," he added.

Proposals for interdisciplinary graduate and postdoctoral fellowships meant to support quantum-smart workforce development are also sought.