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Space Force, NASA Resupply ISS With 6 Experiments
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Space Systems Command agency logo

The U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command and NASA have collaborated to launch a mission carrying six experiments to the International Space Station.

The SSC said Friday the Space Test Program-Houston 10, or STP-H10, mission was launched aboard SpaceX’s Commercial Resupply Service-32 mission on April 21 from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Resupplying ISS With Experimental Science Payloads

The STP-H10 mission, installed on the European Space Agency Columbus module’s exterior, deployed five Department of Defense and one NASA experimental science payload to the ISS. The ISS resupply mission is intended to help enhance warfighter capabilities through broadened scientific knowledge.

The six experiments, secured inside a Cargo Dragon spacecraft, were provided by the DOD Space Experiments Review Board and collaborations among the SSC, NASA, Naval Research Laboratory, Air Force Academy and Missile Defense Agency. They are:

  • Neutron Radiation Detection Instrument-1B, or NeRDI-1B
  • Falcon Optical Defense and Intelligence through Neuromorphics, or Falcon ODIN
  • Cadmium zinc TElluride Radiation Imager, or TERI
  • Space Edge Experiments and Demonstrations, or SEED
  • Space Plasma Diagnostic Suite 3, or SPADE-3
  • Solar Flare X-Ray Timing Investigation, or SFXTI (which will study the temporal dynamics of solar flares)

“The Space Test Program provides a vital pathway for the Department of Defense to explore new technologies in the harsh environment of space,” said Lt. Col. Brian Shimek, director of the DOD Space Test Program. “STP-H10 represents our commitment to innovation, and the data gathered from these six experiments will directly contribute to the development of future Space Force capabilities.”

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Leidos Advanced Training Complex in Huntsville Now Operational
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Tom Bell, CEO at Leidos

The newly built Leidos Advanced Training Complex at Drake State Community and Technical College in Huntsville, Alabama, is now open to support education and training for the aerospace and advanced manufacturing industries.

Drake State said Friday that the building was named in recognition of Leidos’ $1.75 million donation to the community college in 2024 for advanced manufacturing and IT programs, student apprenticeships, campus technical and infrastructure upgrades, a new scholarship endowment and faculty development opportunities.

Building a Talent Pipeline

During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Leidos CEO Tom Bell, a two-time Wash100 awardee, said the company’s partnership with Drake State “will grow the pipeline of talented people who will solve our nation’s most vexing challenges in smarter and more efficient ways.”

The 50,000-square-foot facility, constructed through a statewide bond issue in 2020 in support of Alabama’s education system, offers precision machining and welding training and other skill development programs. It also features dedicated space for additive manufacturing, mechatronics, electrical technology and engineering design.

A new cohort of students selected to participate in Drake State’s Federation of Advanced Manufacturing Education will use the complex throughout the apprenticeship-style program.

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Joint House-Senate Bill Seeks $150B for Defense Spending
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Joint House-Senate Bill Seeks $150B for Defense Spending

A newly released bill reconciling versions of the House and Senate armed services committees seeks $150 billion funding for U.S. defense priorities. The White House was closely consulted on the proposed legislation wherein naval, missile and munition capabilities buildup lead the planned spending on 11 priority areas, according to the House committee’s announcement of the unified bill Sunday.

Aimed overall at military modernization and strengthening national security, the bill recommends investing $34 billion for the expansion of the U.S. Navy fleet and its capabilities. Specific items include budgeting for autonomous surface and subsurface technology systems to build capacity and grow the maritime industrial infrastructure base.

Golden Dome and Other Priorities

The draft legislation also proposes $25 billion to support President Donald Trump’s Golden Dome for America for a layered U.S. missile defense shield with space-based assets for defending against hypersonic threats. 

In addition, the House-Senate committee proposal eyes $21 billion to restock U.S. munitions supply through the capacity expansion of the American industrial base, including a ramp-up on domestic production of rare earth and vital ammo materials.

Other priority investments that the bill outlined include $14 billion for expediting warfighter technology innovation at low cost, $13 billion for improving nuclear deterrence and readiness, and $11 billion for expanding military exercises and improving readiness of U.S. forces in the Indo-Pacific region.

Record-Setting Defense Initiatives

The House committee chairman, Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., described the bill’s funding proposal as a “historic investment” for restoring U.S. military capabilities and strengthening national defense. “Our military’s resources have declined over the years, and defense spending as a percentage of GDP has dropped to the lowest levels since before WWII,” the Alabama congressman noted.

The Senate committee head, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said the proposed legislation brings a “generational upgrade” to U.S. defense capabilities. “(The bill) is about building the future of American defense, achieving peace through strength, and ultimately deterring war,” the Missouri senator commented.

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Scott Heitmann Named Air Force CTO
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Scott Heitmann, CTO of the Department of the Air Force

The Department of the Air Force has appointed Scott Heitmann, acting chief technology officer, as permanent CTO within its Office of the Chief Information Officer.

Heitmann announced his promotion in a LinkedIn post published Wednesday.

In this capacity, he provides technical leadership and oversight of department-wide IT initiatives and ensures the interoperability, integrity and cost-effectiveness of DAF’s IT capabilities, among other responsibilities.

Scott Heitmann’s Career Background

As the Air Force’s acting CTO, Heitmann led several programs, including the Shrink the AFNET and Direct-Patching initiatives. He also led the migration of over 500,000 NIPR systems to the M365 office in 10 days.

He previously served as CTO of the Air Force’s Cyberspace Capabilities Center and technical director for the 375th Communications Group at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois.

In 1996, Heitmann started his civil service career with the 38 Engineering Installation Wing at Tinker AFB in Oklahoma, serving as a network administrator, systems telecommunications engineering manager and information system security officer, among other roles.

The Certified Information Systems Security Professional has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in business administration from Oklahoma Christian University.

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Sethuraman Panchanathan Resigns as National Science Foundation Director
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Sethuraman Panchanathan, Director of National Science Foundation

Sethuraman Panchanathan announced his decision to resign as director of the U.S. National Science Foundation, effective April 24.

In a statement released by NSF Thursday, Panchanathan expressed his gratitude to Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden, Congress and NSF personnel.

“It has been an honor and privilege to serve as the director of NSF for the last five years,” said Panchanathan. “I believe I have done all I can to advance the critical mission of the agency and feel that it is time for me to pass the baton to new leadership,” he added.

Panchanathan was unanimously confirmed by the Senate as the 15th director of the NSF in June 2020 after President Trump nominated him for the leadership role in December 2019. He continued to serve under President Biden.

NSF Achievements Under Panchanathan

In an internal email obtained by Nextgov/FCW, the outgoing NSF director highlighted some of the agency’s achievements during his tenure. This includes the deployment of 27 artificial intelligence institutes and the advancement of multiple scientific research discoveries.

“I wish the very best for the agency and will always look proudly at the numerous accomplishments and impact we have had,” added Panchanathan.

Panchanathan’s Career History

Before joining NSF, Panchanathan spent over 27 years at Arizona State University as a professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. He held other significant positions at the university, including executive vice president for knowledge enterprise development and chief research and innovation officer. He was also the founder and director of the Center for Cognitive Ubiquitous Computing, director of the Institute for Computing and Information Science and Engineering and founder of the School of Computing and Informatics and the Biomedical Informatics Department.

Earlier in his career, Panchanathan co-founded MotionEase and taught at the University of Ottawa as an associate professor for eight years.

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Government Cloud Security Program Offers Update on FedRAMP 20x
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FedRAMP providing updates on FedRAMP 20x cloud-native authorization framework

The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program has provided updates on efforts launched and upcoming initiatives for FedRAMP 20x, a cloud-native authorization framework that seeks to advance the use of automation to accelerate secure cloud adoption across federal agencies.

FedRamp 20x Launched in March–What’s Next? 

Since launching FedRAMP 20x in March, the program said Thursday the FedRAMP team has executed several initiatives to deliver authorizations, facilitate community engagements, improve standards and support the General Services Administration’s artificial intelligence priorities.

When it comes to the authorization aspect, the program has granted FedRAMP Ready designations to seven new cloud services, recognized two new third party assessment organizations and listed five new In Process cloud services for Rev 4 agency authorizations, among other efforts.

Under the standards improvements category to advance FedRAMP 20x, the FedRAMP team has finalized eligibility criteria for the first 20x pilots using stakeholder feedback, prepared a draft standard to demonstrate FedRAMP 20x with explicit criteria for achieving an automated FedRAMP Low authorization and proposed a standard for defining the boundary of FedRAMP authorizations based on public comment.

To improve FedRAMP’s use of AI tools, the program has created a lab environment with resources for generative AI-based learning and prototyping and developed an internal system using GitHub API and GSAi internal tool to review GitHub comments and create executive summaries.

FedRAMP 20x Phase One Pilot

In May, the program will launch the initial phase of the FedRAMP 20x pilot to test how cloud service providers can meet FedRAMP Low authorization requirements using automated technical validation, simple documentation requirements and existing commercial certification to produce machine-readable packages that can be evaluated by trusted third parties.

Qualifying cloud services that complete the first phase will secure a 12-month FedRAMP Low authorization. The program will prioritize such service offerings for FedRAMP Moderate authorization in the pilot program’s second phase.

The program is seeking public comments on proposed key security indicators for FedRAMP 20x Phase One pilot. Responses are due May 24.

FedRAMP is also soliciting feedback on the proposed Significant Change Notification Standard and Minimum Assessment Scope Standard.

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Space Force Environmental Monitoring Satellite Achieves Operational Acceptance
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Space Force’s ML-1A WSF-M environmental monitoring satellite reaching operational acceptance

Space Operations Command, or SpOC, officially accepted on Thursday the ML-1A Weather System Follow-on – Microwave, or WSF-M, satellite, marking an apparent milestone in delivering modernized space-based environmental monitoring, or SBEM, systems.

SpOC said Thursday the Space Force’s ML-1A satellite delivers combat-relevant environmental data to joint warfighters performing mission planning and operations worldwide.

“The operational acceptance of the first WSF-M satellite is a pivotal moment in SSC’s history. It represents the Space Force’s focus on transitioning towards a more affordable, scalable, and resilient weather satellite constellation,” said Col. Robert Davis, program executive officer for space sensing at Space Systems Command.

“WSF-M pinpoints actionable weather data on a global scale 24/7 empowering our joint forces to plan strategically and respond swiftly, no matter the environmental conditions,” added Davis.

The Naval Research Lab at Blossom Point Tracking Facility in Maryland is operating the spacecraft.

What Is ML-1A?

ML-1A is the first WSF-M satellite that launched on April 11 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

The space vehicle will augment the key capabilities of the ML-62 Defense Meteorological Satellite Program and is designed to sense, store and transmit microwave raw sensor data to support the Department of Defense’s three high-priority SBEM capabilities by measuring ocean surface vector winds, tropical low-earth orbit energetic charged particle characterization and cyclone intensity. The satellite will also address three more SBEM capabilities: sea ice characterization, snow depth and soil moisture.

The satellite is part of the Space Force’s pivot to hybrid architectures to facilitate weather monitoring to ensure that warfighters maintain critical informational advantage.

Gain valuable insights from experts and speakers at the 2025 Air and Space Summit. Sign up now for this Potomac Officers Club-hosted event on July 31.

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Boeing Halts X-66 Flight Demonstrator Development
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Boeing company logo

Boeing has proposed focusing NASA’s Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project on long, thin-wing technology, halting the company’s work on the X-66 flight demonstrator, the centerpiece of the project aimed at developing more sustainable commercial airliners.

The current X-66 aircraft adopts a transonic truss-braced wing concept that uses thin-wing technology. Under Boeing’s proposal, the project will prioritize research on the technology, which Boeing identified as having broad applications for potential incorporation into aircraft with and without truss braces, while keeping research into the transonic truss-braced wing concept, NASA said.

The company made the recommendation based on data gathered since the Sustainable Flight Demonstrator research began in 2023 under the Space Act Agreement. 

X-66 as Testbed for Boeing 737 Replacement

Besides supporting NASA’s goal to achieve substantial improvements for next-generation airliner efficiency, Boeing plans to use the X-66 to inform the design of a single-aisle replacement for the 737 in the 2030s, Aviation Week Network reported. According to Boeing, the proposed changes in the project will not substantially affect the development of the new aircraft.

While the new approach is being evaluated and the project is on pause, the company reallocated engineers from the experimental program to the 777X and 737 Max development effort ahead of the 2026 delivery schedules.

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OSC Wants Public Input on Draft Space Traffic Coordination Guide
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OSC Wants Public Input on Draft Space Traffic Coordination Guide

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Space Commerce is soliciting public comments on the third draft on an international standard for space traffic coordination. The space operations working group of a technical committee under the International Organization for Standardization, or ISO, developed the document to promote safety and efficient space use, OSC said Thursday.

It added that the draft standards define the requirements of a system for space traffic coordination, or STC, providing readily available, timely, complete and accurate services. The STC system is critical to the standards on data sharing and coordination in space situational awareness, essential elements in the Traffic Coordination System for Space that it is developing, OSC noted.

Operational Transparency in Space

The standards in the 129-page draft, called ISO/CD3 9490, include procedures for collecting, storing and exchanging data pertinent to space safety. The draft offers guidelines on operational transparency in space as required in the Outer Space Treaty and other related United Nations documents on ensuring safety and sustainability in space. 

The guidance includes direction on sharing and exchange of planned spacecraft launches, as well as maneuvers and potential orbital conjunctions. In addition, the ISO draft provides maneuver recommendations and prioritization of spacecraft at risk of collision. A section in the draft also tackles the responsibilities of participants under the STC system.

Commenting on the draft is via an OSC-provided template that may be sent through e-mail, with May 15 as the submission deadline. 

In a related move, OSC published last June the Space Industry Technical Standards Compendium that addresses space traffic coordination and space situational awareness. The office said it will continuously update the compendium and work to convert the resource into an online database.

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MITRE Publishes Report on Government Use of Public, Commercial Data
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The logo of MITRE, a not-for-profit organization supporting the U.S. government.

MITRE has released the results of its research on the scalable and efficient use of publicly and commercially available information, dubbed P/CAI, in the U.S. government. In a paper published Thursday, MITRE identified the challenges and steps the government can take to more effectively utilize P/CAI. 

From Disconnected Efforts to Centralized Acquisitions

P/CAI, also known as open source intelligence, strengthens national security and supports the missions of various agencies. MITRE noted in the report that the assistant secretary of the bureau of intelligence and research at the Department of State sees the “explosion of OSINT” as transformative to how governments process information about global issues and society as a whole. 

However, MITRE found that P/CAI efforts in the U.S. government are disconnected, leading to challenges such as duplicate purchases. There is also a lack of privacy and civil liberties frameworks to address sensitive information. 

MITRE recommends that the government adopt a centralized approach to P/CAI across the government. According to the not-for-profit organization, agencies must leverage the collective buying power of the government. 

Agencies must also use contracting strategies that support efficient procurement through an enterprise model or a modular approach that combines the strengths of different contracting tools. 

In addition, to address concerns over sensitive data in P/CAI, MITRE called for a central library of authorities to track and ensure strict compliance with privacy laws. 

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