Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., has introduced a bill that aims to codify cybersecurity training as a requirement for federal employees.

The Internet of Things Cybersecurity Training for Federal Employees Act would have the Office of Management and Budget mandate federal personnel to understand cybersecurity and IoT device risks, Khanna’s office said Monday.

IoT devices refer to any physical technology that people use as mediums for internet connectivity. Examples of IoT devices include mobile phones, laptops and smart watches. These devices hold vulnerabilities that make them potential targets of cyber attacks, according to a statement by the Congressional Research Service.

“The IoT Cybersecurity Training for Federal Employees Act will ensure that our federal workforce is aware of these vulnerabilities when using IoT devices at work and at home,” Khanna said.

Vice President Mike Pence has said that the U.S. is willing to cooperate with “like-minded freedom-loving nations” in space exploration efforts, Space News reported Monday.

Pence told attendees at the opening of the 70th International Astronautical Congress in Washington, D.C., that President Trump’s leadership has enabled the country to be at the forefront of space programs like NASA’s Artemis mission to the moon.

He added that the U.S. and its allies must work to ensure a regulatory environment in space spanning matters like freedom, private property and rule of law.

“We will use all legal and diplomatic means to create a stable and orderly space environment that drives opportunity, creates prosperity and ensures our security on Earth,” he said.

Perspecta announced on Tuesday that the company’s hackathon competition team, Opt1x, won first place at DreamPort’s rapid prototyping event (RPE). In addition, the team also placed 36th out of 229 teams during OpenCTF, a competition during the 2019 DEF CON 27.

“There is no question that the successful performance of the Opt1x team resulted from the combined experience of its team members researching and developing cyber techniques, applications and analytics for Department of Defense customers,” said Mac Curtis, president and chief executive officer of Perspecta as well as a 2019 Wash100 Award recipient.

DreamPort, the cyber innovation center created by U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) in collaboration with the Maryland Innovation & Security Institute, is dedicated to the research and development of cyber capabilities for USCYBERCOM and our nation’s warfighters.

OpenCTF, a capture-the-flag-type hacking contest built on the principle of inclusion with challenges for all skill levels was held at DEF CON 27, one of the world’s largest and most notable hacker conventions.

“The team’s success demonstrates Perspecta’s cyber expertise and understanding of the evolving threat landscape and ability to provide our customers with a clear advantage,” Curtis added.

0pt1x—pronounced “optics”—includes team members from both Perspecta and the company’s innovative applied research arm, Perspecta Labs, who serve in research science and cyber operator roles.

About Perspecta Inc.

At Perspecta (NYSE: PRSP), we question, we seek and we solve. Perspecta brings a diverse set of capabilities to our U.S. government customers in defense, intelligence, civilian, health care and state and local markets. Our 270+ issued, licensed and pending patents are more than just pieces of paper, they tell the story of our innovation.

With offerings in mission services, digital transformation and enterprise operations, our team of 14,000 engineers, analysts, investigators and architects work tirelessly to not only execute the mission, but build and support the backbone that enables it.

Maxar Technologies announced on Tuesday that the company has delivered the robotic Sample Handling Assembly (SHA) for NASA’s Mars 2020 rover. The SHA will process and store samples acquired from the Martian surface.

The SHA is the sixth robotic arm that Maxar has designed, built and delivered for use on Mars. Maxar’s expert roboticists will now work closely with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to integrate the arm with the Mars 2020 rover.

After its planned launch in July 2020, the rover will land at Jezero Crater to search for signs of livable conditions and microbial life from the ancient past.

“Maxar is a global leader in space infrastructure with over 60 years of experience,” said Megan Fitzgerald, Maxar’s Senior Vice President and General Manager of Space Infrastructure. “We are proud to contribute our innovative technology to the Mars 2020 mission. In addition to delivering robotic arms for planetary exploration, Maxar is pioneering robotics technologies that will enable space infrastructure to be serviced, assembled and manufactured in orbit.”

The operations of DigitalGlobe, SSL (Space Systems Loral) and Radiant Solutions were unified under the Maxar brand in February; MDA continues to operate as an independent business unit within the Maxar organization.

About Maxar

Maxar is a trusted partner and innovator in Earth Intelligence and Space Infrastructure. We deliver disruptive value to government and commercial customers to help them monitor, understand and navigate our changing planet; deliver global broadband communications and explore and advance the use of space.

Our unique approach combines decades of deep mission understanding and a proven commercial and defense foundation to deploy solutions and deliver insights with unrivaled speed, scale and cost effectiveness. Maxar’s 5,900 team members in 30 global locations are inspired to harness the potential of space to help our customers create a better world.

A group of NASA and third-party reviewers has completed a critical design assessment of the spacecraft Lockheed Martin will build to help the space agency investigate the Trojan asteroids.

The review covered different elements of the Lucy mission such as the vehicle and its payload, system-level flight hardware and software test plans, the ground system and related scientific efforts, NASA said Monday.

Lucy systems and subsystems have met technical requirements during the four-day evaluation by the independent review board and the program is now set to enter the fabrication phase.

The agency aims to launch the mission in 2021 and intends for the spacecraft to explore six Trojan asteroids plus one Main Belt asteroid over a 12-year period.

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center will manage the overall mission while Southwest Research Institute will lead the scientific investigation.

Federal projects at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission have received $12M in total grants through the Technology Modernization Fund, Nextgov reported Monday.

USDA will get $8M in funds to digitize and advance cloud migration for its Speciality Crops Program, which facilitates the inspection and certification of fruits and vegetables.

EEOC will receive a $4M grant to establish a cloud-based charge and case management platform to help reduce operational costs and facilitate client services.

“It’s two projects that were operating on paper-based processes to serve citizens, one of them used triplicate copy forms—I don’t even know where to buy them anymore,” Suzette Kent, federal chief information officer and a 2019 Wash100 winner, said Monday at an ACT-IAC conference in Philadelphia.

TMF was created in 2017 through the Modernizing Government Technology Act to support IT modernization efforts across the federal government. The latest batch of awards leaves TMF with approximately $24M in funds.