NASA has selected researchers that will take part in initial studies focused on technologies for lunar missions including optical systems and “levitation” technology based on autonomous concepts.

NASA said Friday that the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) will provide $125,000 in grants to each of the 16 participants for Phase I of the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program.

The participants will conduct feasibility studies throughout a nine-month perood and will be eligible to apply for Phase II grants if the projects are deemed successful.

NASA will provide $500,000 for each Phase II grantee to cover a two-month concept development period. Phase III involve contracts worth up to $2 million for two-year maturation activities.

Jenn Gustetic, director of early-stage innovations and partnerships at STMD, said that providing seed funding for initial research “could benefit NASA greatly in the long run."

Selected proposals cover a range of topics such as deployable space-based structures, lunar tracks for transporting cargo on the lunar surface and a “light bender” concept for generating power on the moon.

The National Security Agency (NSA) has released a guidance on the zero-trust model for network security and said that systems leveraging the concept are better positioned to address threats but implementing the framework entails careful planning.

NSA said in its report that while the data-centric model for cybersecurity results in comprehensive monitoring, transitioning to such systems could provide risks of weakened security postures.

According to the guidance, adopting a mindset focused on zero trust requires an understanding of the modern threat landscape as well as a coordinated system for monitoring and management.

Other requirements include assuming malicious intent in networks, assuming risks for compromise in all devices, accepting the risky nature of access approvals and ensuring preparedness in conducting rapid damage analysis and recovery functions. 

NSA also cites persistent adherence to a zero-trust mindset as a key requirement for implementing the concept.

“Administrators and defenders may become fatigued with constantly applying default-deny security policies and always assuming a breach is occurring, but if the Zero Trust approach falters, then its cybersecurity benefits become significantly degraded or eliminated,” the report states.

The U.S. Army is conducting a demonstration activity to assess four air vehicles that may serve as potential successors to the service branch's RQ-7 Shadow fleet.

Various brigade combat teams within the Army Forces Command underwent a six-week flight training activity to familiarize themselves with the air vehicles, the service branch said Friday.

The Army can transport each air vehicle via CH-47 Chinook helicopters or organic ground vehicles in a move to enable tactical maneuverability. FORSCOM's Future Vertical Lift cross-functional team has worked with the Army's Program Executive Office since 2018 to select and obtain drone units for the project.

The team held soldier touch points to secure inputs and feedback in line with the effort. The event is slated to run through March 5th.

The Department of Defense (DOD) has created a modernization strategy for hypersonics to update the nation’s strike missile arsenal, DOD News reported Saturday.

Mike White, principal director for hypersonics at the office of the undersecretary of defense for Research and Engineering, said at an Air Force Association symposium that the strategy includes developing strike weapons for inland, coastal and maritime targets and establishing a layered defense architecture to defeat adversarial hypersonic weapons.

The strategy also entails deploying reusable hypersonic weapons for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions as well as strike operations and space access.

White said the Pentagon expects to deploy strike capabilities through the mid-2020's and a layered hypersonic defense infrastructure through the late 2020s. The DOD seeks to implement a reusable weapon by the early 2030's, according to White.

White’s comments come after the U.S. Air Force launched an effort to develop the AGM-183A weapon for rapid airborne response.

Brig. Gen. Heath Collins, program executive officer for weapons and director of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center's armament directorate, said his office will conduct the first flight test for the hypersonic weapon's boosters.

"We're really proud to be in the hypersonics weapon enterprise at this point in this exciting time, and we're just on the cusp of an operational capability," he said.

CGI has created a new information technology (IT) delivery center in Knoxville, Tenn., the company reported on Feb. 26th. The delivery center will create approximately 300 jobs and provide engaging opportunities for local educators, students and professionals. 

“After a competitive and wide-ranging search, CGI selected Knoxville based on several factors – most notable access to talent and a strong culture of innovation within the Knoxville area and the state of Tennessee,” said David Henderson, CGI president of U.S. Commercial and State Government Operations. 

CGI’s new delivery center will help the company’s commercial and government clients gain access to high-quality IT services. Simultaneously, CGI will spur regional economic development in communities with quality workforces and pro-partnership state and local governments. 

Knoxville was selected as CGI’s eighth delivery center after a two-year search. CGI will begin the hiring process for the center in March 2021 and will seek job candidates with experience in business analytics, software development and other technology related skills.

CGI and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT) will work together to establish the IT delivery center. CGI will also work with UT to create an IT talent pipeline in the Knoxville area. Two of the planned programs include internships and real-world capstone projects, engaging UT’s research partners and CGI. 

"We are fortunate as a state to have a network of partnerships with institutions like the University of Tennessee that assist with advancing and building the talent pipeline these companies need,” said the Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development commissioner Bob Rolfe said. 

The company’s professionals possess a strong reputation for supporting their communities, including volunteering with local charitable organizations or providing their IT resources and talent to regional issues. They often assist families, military veterans and underrepresented professionals  in the STEM fields. 

“We appreciate CGI for choosing Tennessee for its eighth U.S. IT delivery center and look forward to seeing the impact the company will make on the region in the years to come,” Rolfe concluded.