NASA will allocate up to $15 million for each of the two new Space Technology Research Institutes to aid studies for sustaining human presence on the Moon and Mars, the agency said on Tuesday. The university-led and multidisciplinary “smart habitat” institutes will support other NASA research initiatives and receive funding from the Space Technology Mission Directorate over a five-year period. 

The Habitats Optimized for Missions of Exploration institute intends to study self-maintained and resilient habitation implementing emerging technologies and concepts like machine learning, data science, robotic maintenance, autonomous collaboration and onboard manufacturing. Industry representatives from firms like Blue Origin and Sierra Nevada Corp. form part of a team that manages HOME. 

The second habitat is called Resilient ExtraTerrestrial Habitats institute and will focus on using hybrid simulation, modular and autonomous robotics technology to design and operate human dwellings in deep space. RETHi intends to mature technologies supporting deep space habitats with the capacity for crewed and uncrewed functionalities.

NASA established two prior STRIs in 2017, namely the Ultra-Strong Composites by Computational Design and the Center for the Utilization of Biological Engineering in Space.

The Department of Commerce began addressing the growing congestion in space as directed by President Trump, National Defense Magazine reported Monday. The White House issued a space policy directive in 2018 giving the agency the responsibility to manage space debris and traffic.

Commerce is coordinating agencies to discuss new standards for orbital debris mitigation. The agency is also in talks with the space industry to understand current and future needs of companies for space initiatives.

Department officials hosted the Risks and Opportunities Space Summit in March 2019 that gathered officials from industry to discuss space insurance, situational awareness technology and orbital debris strategies. 

There are more than 20,000 objects in space being monitored by the Department of Defense, a number that is expected to continue increasing. 

“The volume and location of orbital debris are growing threats to space activities,” the directive stated. “It is in the interest of all to minimize new debris and mitigate effects of existing debris.”

Theresa Hitchens, senior research associate at the Center for International Security Studies at the University of Maryland, said Commerce may face challenges in managing space traffic and debris. 

She said the DoD limits the information it shares to track satellites, and Commerce has yet to secure clear authority to hire private companies or build its own capabilities to track objects in space.

The U.S. Navy concluded developmental tests for a towed sonar designed to track mines underwater. The AN/AQS-20C sonar system detects and categorizes close-tethered, bottom, moored and volume moored mines through the use of electro-optic and acoustic sensory functions, Naval Sea Systems Command said Monday. 

The service branch installed the sonar on the Textron Systems-built Common USV platform and was streamed within the Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division Gulf test range through Feb. 12. Joe Thomas, lead project engineer for the Q-20C program at NSWC PCD, said the sonar’s current variant was updated to handle multiple modes. Thomas added that the sonar is ready for integration to the MCM unmanned surface vehicle.

The MCM is a semi-autnomous and diesel-propelled platform built to accommodate mine sweeping, hunting and neutralization payloads on littoral combat ships. The service branch started the development for the USV in 2018 and is slated for a competitive acquisition program in 2020.

A U.S. Air Force memorandum named four Colorado bases and two Alabama and California locations as the potential candidates for the U.S. Space Command’s new headquarters, CNN reported Saturday. 

According to the memo obtained by CNN, the recently established combatant command may be housed at Buckley Air Force Base, Cheyenne Mountain AFB, Peterson AFB or Schriever AFB in Colorado. Other potential locations include Vanderberg AFB in California and the U.S. Army’s Redstone Arsenal in Alabama. 

The Air Force memo noted that the Space Command may consist of 1,450 personnel, 390 of which will be military officers. The projected manpower may also include 827 civilians, 183 enlisted personnel and 50 contractors. Around 350 of the Space Command personnel may come from the Joint Force Space Component Command, which operates under the U.S. Strategic Command.

Last month, President Trump nominated Gen. John Raymond, commander of the Air Force Space Command, to head the new combatant command. An Air Force spokesperson noted that the list of potential headquarters is still subject to Air Force Secretary and 2019 Wash100 Award winner Heather Wilson’s approval.

The Internal Revenue Service plans to launch an automation tool to help contracting officers reduce the time spent on a vendor compliance procedure from hours to minutes, Nextgov reported Monday. The IRS started a pilot test of a bot to help contracting officers speed up a compliance process – contractor responsibility determination – that screens vendors for red flags such as business prohibitions and past bankruptcies.

Harrison Smith, chief procurement officer at IRS, said officers could perform the procedure per contract within two minutes using the new system, freeing up more time to spend on negotiating deals and establishing partnerships with vendors. The report said the bot uses a contractor’s DUNS number to automatically scan public databases and create a report about the company within minutes.

The IRS plans to introduce the new system to 308 contracting officers by June, the report added.

Mark Nehmer, technical director for the Defense Security Service’s National Background Investigative Services, said that artificial intelligence can significantly help government officials in conducting background investigations, the Department of Defense said Monday.

Nehmer told attendees at a Nextgov event held on March 29 in Arlington Va., that AI can quicken the pace of investigations, resolve understaffing issues, decrease case backlog and mitigate a “Snowden-like event” or instances of government leaks. 

AI’s algorithm and machine learning elements can monitor data flowing through agencies, banks, police records and social media to identify anomalies or suspicious activity, he added. Other potential uses of AI include behavioral analysis and detection of life changes such as debt to identify the need for services like financial assistance.

Nehmer noted that AI will never replace humans in investigative procedures, but platforms using the technology can be leveraged as tools for performing investigations. Work is underway to incorporate AI technology into investigative operations ahead of a potential decision for deployment, he added.