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NASA Requires Input on Space Weather Observation Satellite
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NASA Requires Input on Space Weather Observation Satellite

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is requesting sources to provide information on developing a spacecraft for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather GEO, or SW GEO, Series program.

GSFC is soliciting input on spacecraft flight hardware design concepts, mission operations services and hosting possibilities for the SW GEO project, which supports NOAA’s mission to reduce the impact of severe space weather events, according to a notice posted Tuesday on SAM.gov.

Soliciting Concept Designs for 2 Satellites

Specifically, the government expects the potential contractor to create spacecraft concept designs, prepare documentation for its upcoming development, provide operational and maintenance support, and identify payload hosting opportunities.

The program aims to operate up to two satellites in the geostationary orbit over the continental U.S. to meet NOAA’s observatory instrument data availability objectives. Each of the spacecraft is anticipated to host eight government-furnished payloads, such as sensors and imaging instruments.

Monitoring Space Weather Events

When it becomes operational, the SW GEO spacecraft will enable NOAA to monitor and warn about space weather events that can potentially disrupt the country’s electrical power grid, communications infrastructure, and navigation and timing systems.

Interested parties are invited to submit their feedback and suggestions no later than March 28.

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Kelly Loeffler Confirmed as SBA Administrator
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Kelly Loeffler Confirmed as SBA Administrator

The Senate on Wednesday voted 52-46 to confirm Kelly Loeffler, a former senator from Georgia, as head of the Small Business Administration.

In this capacity, Loeffler will lead a cabinet-level federal agency that supports small businesses by providing capital, counseling and contracting expertise.

Loeffler’s Career Highlights

The Georgia businesswoman briefly served in the Senate after she was appointed by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to fill the vacancy created by Sen. Johnny Isakson’s retirement.

Loeffler, who co-chaired President Trump’s second inaugural committee, previously served as senior vice president of investor relations, chief communications officer and chief marketing officer at Intercontinental Exchange, a financial services firm that owns the New York Stock Exchange.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign graduate launched fintech company Bakkt, where she served as its founding CEO.

She is a former co-owner of the Atlanta Dream team of the Women’s National Basketball Association.

Earlier in her career, Loeffler held positions at several automotive and financial services firms, including Toyota Motor Sales USA, Citigroup and William Blair.

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DOD Seeks to Redirect $50B Toward Trump’s Priorities
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DOD Seeks to Redirect $50B Toward Trump’s Priorities

Secretary of Defense and 2025 Wash100 winner Pete Hegseth has ordered Department of Defense officials to conduct a review and find approximately $50 billion in the Biden administration’s proposed fiscal year 2026 budget that could be shifted toward President Trump’s national defense priorities, including the Iron Dome for America and border security, Breaking Defense reported Wednesday.

“The Department will develop a list of potential offsets that could be used to fund these priorities, as well as to refocus the Department on its core mission of deterring and winning wars. The offsets are targeted at 8% of the Biden Administration’s FY26 budget, totaling around $50 billion, which will then be spent on programs aligned with President Trump’s priorities,” Robert Salesses, who performs the duties of deputy secretary of defense, said in a statement published Wednesday.

Priority Categories That May Be Excluded

Following the release of the DOD official’s statement, Breaking Defense obtained a list of the 17 priority categories or “offsets” that may not be included by military services and component agencies in their 8 percent spending reduction recommendations or should be financially protected in the next fiscal year.

These are:

  • Audit
  • Collaborative combat aircraft
  • Combatant command support agency funding
  • Combating transnational criminal organizations in the Western Hemisphere
  • Core readiness, including full DRT funding
  • Counter-small UAS initiatives
  • Executable surface ships
  • Executable U.S. Indo-Pacific Command MILCON
  • Homeland missile defense
  • Medical private-sector care
  • Munitions
  • Munitions and energetics organic industrial bases
  • Nuclear modernization
  • One-way attack/autonomous systems
  • Priority critical cybersecurity
  • Southwest border activities
  • Virginia-class submarines
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Assoc. Administrator Jim Free Set to Retire After 3 Decades at NASA
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Assoc. Administrator Jim Free Set to Retire After 3 Decades at NASA

Jim Free, associate administrator at NASA, is set to retire on Feb. 22 after three decades of service.

The agency said Wednesday Free will step down as the senior advisor to Janet Petro, NASA’s acting administrator. The veteran executive will also relinquish his other duties including overseeing all 10 center directors and the mission directorate associate administrators at the NASA headquarters in Washington and leading more than 18,000 personnel as chief operating officer.

Jim Free’s Legacy

The outgoing executive first joined the agency in 1990 and has held a variety of leadership roles. He was appointed NASA associate administrator in January 2024, succeeding Bob Cabana. Under his leadership, the agency accomplished the first lunar landing through the Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative. NASA also launched the Europa Clipper mission, studied Jupiter’s moon and discovered molecules with the ingredients for life in asteroid Bennu samples.

Free previously served as the associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, where he spearheaded the development of the Moon to Mars architecture. He was also responsible for the systems development for the Artemis program.

Before his latest stint at NASA, Free worked in the private sector as a self-employed consultant and vice president of the Aerospace Systems Group at Peerless Technologies. Prior to this, Free worked at NASA’s Glenn Research Center for over seven years, most recently as its director. He first joined NASA in 1990 as an engineer.

“A remarkable engineer and a decisive leader, he combines deep technical expertise with an unwavering commitment to this agency’s mission. Jim’s legacy is one of selfless service, steadfast leadership, and a belief in the power of people,” said Petro.

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New Cyber Advisory From CISA & Partners Tackles Ghost Ransomware
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New Cyber Advisory From CISA & Partners Tackles Ghost Ransomware

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the FBI and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center have released a joint cybersecurity advisory concerning the ransomware known as Ghost.

Ghost Ransomware Activity

According to the advisory, which was issued on Wednesday, malicious actors have been using Ghost since early 2021 to target victims with internet-facing services running on outdated firmware or software. The malicious actors are located in China but their attacks have compromised the systems of organizations found in over 70 countries, including China.

Victims include critical infrastructure organizations, education institutions, manufacturing companies, government organizations and religious institutions. The purpose of the attacks is financial gain.

Contents of the Advisory

The advisory provides indicators of compromise; tactics, techniques and procedures, and detection methods associated with Ghost. The advisory also contains recommended mitigations, which organizations are encouraged to implement.

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SAIC, AWS Secure TraCSS Cloud Services Order From NOAA
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SAIC, AWS Secure TraCSS Cloud Services Order From NOAA

SAIC and Amazon Web Services have secured a $4.8 million cloud services order from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to provide cloud hosting services for the Traffic Coordination System for Space, or TraCSS.

NOAA’s Office of Space Commerce, or OSC, said Wednesday SAIC and AWS will provide TraCSS services from October 2025 to October 2026. The order was made under a blanket purchase agreement and does not impact AWS’s existing cloud services agreement with NOAA, whose performance period will run until October.

In November 2024, the OSC conducted market research for possible sources of cloud infrastructure and provisioning services for TraCSS.

What Is TraCSS?

TraCSS is the civil space situational awareness system developed by OSC to provide civil and private space operators with basic space situational awareness, or SSA, data and services. The system is also designed to support spaceflight safety, space sustainability and international coordination.

TraCSS comprises three components: its data repository TraCSS-OASIS, SSA application services TraCSS-SKYLINE and its modeling, simulation and research environment and development and test environment TraCSS-HORIZON.

NOAA is applying a phased “crawl, walk, run” development approach to its TraCSS implemnentation to enable more commercial SSA data and services integration for each phase and avoid any disruption in providing basic SSA safety services.

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Air Force Checks Minuteman III ICBM Capabilities in New Test
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Air Force Checks Minuteman III ICBM Capabilities in New Test

A new launch test of the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile has been completed for another routine check on the weapon’s capabilities in deterring current security threats, the U.S. Air Force announced Wednesday. The periodic test, also designed to assure allies on U.S. nuclear readiness, is focused on demonstrating Minuteman III’s safety, security and reliability, the service branch added.

The ICBM community using the data gathered from the tests include the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy and U.S. Strategic Command in their continuing force development analyses.

Combined elements of Air Force Global Strike Command Airmen and Vandenberg Space Force Base Guardians performed the recent test at the Vandenberg SFB’s Western Range. The joint team launched an unarmed Minuteman III missile, with the base’s 377th Test and Evaluation Group overseeing the exercise.

Data Inputs for Future ICBM Upgrades

According to Col. Dustin Harmon, commander of the 377th TEG, the key data points that they gathered from the test are useful not only in assessing the current system’s reliability but also in validating planned ICBM force upgrades. “The data we collect and analyze is crucial for maintaining Minuteman III while we pave the way for Sentinel,” he pointed out. 

The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center is currently working on a program to replace Minuteman III with the LGM-35A Sentinel ICBM, as part of the modernization plan for the land-based component of the U.S. nuclear triad.

Northrop Grumman is one of the companies with a stake in the Sentinel program, with the company already completing in 2024 multiple tests as part of the new ICBM’s engineering, manufacturing and development phase.

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IARPA Launches End-Gen Program to Boost Wireless Communication
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IARPA Launches End-Gen Program to Boost Wireless Communication

The Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity has announced the launch of the Endless Generative Waveforms, or End-Gen, program to address the challenges posed by the static nature of current waveforms, including Wi-Fi, 4G/5G and Bluetooth.

Addressing Wireless Communication Needs

IARPA said Wednesday the End-Gen program aims to develop generative artificial intelligence, machine learning and other optimization frameworks designed to enable the U.S. intelligence community to transmit and receive data securely and efficiently. The frameworks are expected to analyze mission objectives provided by the user and then generate corresponding mission waveforms.

The End-Gen program is meant to enhance wireless communication across the government, IC and public sector by creating generative waveforms and eliminating the need for inefficient human development cycles. The project aims to enable machines to utilize their generative abilities to identify new algorithms and create waveforms and inventions that meet the needs of the IC while enabling humans to focus on the mission. If successful, the program will also streamline the development of advanced wireless technologies. 

The End-Gen program will run for 42 months and progress through three phases. During phase one, the focus will be on showcasing the feasibility of generative waveforms in static environments without requiring human help. The second phase involves scaling the generative waveform towards practical communication goals in a more dynamic environment such as the community. In phase three, the waveforms generated will be deployed to address real-world communication challenges and ensure the technology can be used in actual environments.

“The End-Gen approach allows the machine to create the right waveform and frees the human to focus on how best to complete the mission,” said Adam Anderson, program manager of End-Gen.

Register and join the Potomac Officers Club‘s 5G Summit on February 27. Find out what’s new about 5G and FutureG and how the U.S. government intends to utilize the technology to strengthen national security and public safety.

IARPA Launches End-Gen Program to Boost Wireless Communication
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Howard Lutnick Confirmed as Commerce Secretary
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Howard Lutnick Confirmed as Commerce Secretary

The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Howard Lutnick, most recently chairman and CEO of investment firm Cantor Fitzgerald, as the 41st secretary of the Department of Commerce in a 51-45 vote.

The Hill reported that Lutnick will play a key role in President Trump’s trade agenda. The current administration plans to impose tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico.

He will oversee national security-related trade rules and the Bureau of Industry and Security, which implements import and export bans.

In compliance with U.S. government ethics rules, Cantor said the secretary will divest his business interests in the financial services firm, BGC Group and Newmark Group.

Lutnick’s Career Background

Lutnick joined Cantor Fitzgerald in 1983 and assumed the position of president and CEO in 1991. He took on the role of chairman in 1996.

In 2008, he led the merger of BGC and eSpeed, resulting in the formation of BGC Partners, where he also served as chairman and chief executive.

After the Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center, the New York native led the firm’s recovery and supported the families of Cantor employees lost that day through the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund.

The Haverford College graduate serves on the boards of several organizations, including the National September 11 Memorial & Museum and the Partnership for New York City.

Lutnick is a recipient of the Department of the Navy’s Distinguished Public Service Award.

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Shantrell Collier Named DOJ Deputy Chief Information Officer
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Shantrell Collier Named DOJ Deputy Chief Information Officer

Shantrell Collier shared on LinkedIn Sunday that she has been named deputy chief information officer at the U.S. Department of Justice.

Who Is Shantrell Collier?

Collier is a retired sergeant major of the U.S. Army who joined the Justice Department in 2022 as the chief of staff to the assistant attorney general of administration. She mainly served as a principal managerial and technical advisor for the Justice Management Division’s programs and services.

She previously served in various CIO roles for the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, where she managed the technology and cyber operations and maintenance budget for multiple geographical facilities, research ships, aircraft and uncrewed systems.

The DOJ executive briefly worked as the deputy chief of the information technology systems management division at the Office of Science and Technology under the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. She was also the acting deputy director of the Service Delivery Staff of the Office of the CIO.

Collier was the project lead for email and collaboration services, where she oversaw the DOJ’s transition to Microsoft 365 and migration of 120,000 email accounts to the cloud. She also held the roles of management and program analyst and assistant director of customer support services.

Before joining the Justice Department, Collier served in the Army for 22 years. Among her responsibilities was leading the Second Information Operations Battalion, which was tasked with training and employing offensive cyber operations teams.

Furthermore, Collier served as a vice presidential and First Lady communications officer at the White House Communications Agency. 

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