//
NASA Launches LunaRecycle Challenge for Space Waste Management Innovations
Published on
NASA Launches LunaRecycle Challenge for Space Waste Management Innovations

NASA has launched the LunaRecycle Challenge, a competition aimed at developing possible waste management services for deep space missions.

The agency said Monday interested teams, vying for $3 million in prizes, are expected to develop energy-efficient, low-mass and low-impact recycling systems for turning physical waste streams like food packaging, old clothes and science experiment materials into usable products.

Innovators interested in joining the competition should tackle the following technological needs:

  • Logistics tracking, clothing and trash management for habitation
  • In-space and on-surface manufacturing of parts and products
  • In-space and on-surface manufacturing from recycled and reused materials

The challenge is also intended to support NASA’s initiatives of achieving long-duration human space travel and building a sustained human presence on the Moon.

NASA’s LunaRecycle Challenge features two tracks: the Prototype Build track for developing hardware for recycling solid waste materials on the lunar surface and the Digital Twin Track, which focuses on creating a virtual replica of the recycling system.

Amy Kaminski, program executive for prizes, challenges and crowdsourcing program at NASA, said, “Operating sustainably is an important consideration for NASA as we make discoveries and conduct research both away from home and on Earth.”

Kim Krome, acting program manager for NASA’s Centennial Challenges, added, “We are eager for this challenge to serve as a positive catalyst for bringing the agency and humanity, closer to exploring worlds beyond our own.”

/
Deloitte & NASCIO Release 2024 Report on Cyber Threat Landscape
Published on
Deloitte & NASCIO Release 2024 Report on Cyber Threat Landscape

Many state chief information security officers say the increase in sophistication of cybersecurity threats is outpacing the amount of resources states are allocating to address them, according to the 2024 edition of the Deloitte-NASCIO Cybersecurity Study.

Deloitte said Monday that it and the National Association of Chief Information Officers have been conducting the study every two years since 2010 with the aim of updating state leaders concerning the cybersecurity threat landscape. The 2024 study, which was completed this spring, covers input from the CISOs of all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Of the CISOs surveyed, four said less than one percent of their state’s IT budget is allocated for cybersecurity while more than a third said they do not have a budget dedicated specifically for cybersecurity. In contrast, federal agencies allocate over 10 percent of their budgets for that purpose.

CISOs have nevertheless undertaken efforts to mitigate cyber risks, including by onboarding specialists who can focus on cybersecurity-related matters, according to NASCIO Deputy Executive Director Meredith Ward.

“In addition to growing their teams, our research found these leaders are determined to find creative solutions to protect their organizations and the public,” Ward, who co-authored the 2024 report, added.

The same report reveals that many state CISOs have turned to generative artificial intelligence to bolster security operations, even though the same technology is seen as a potential source of threats.

“The attack surface is expanding as state leaders’ reliance on information becomes increasingly central to the operation of government itself, and CISOs have an increasingly challenging mission to make the technology infrastructure resilient against ever-increasing cyber threats,” commented Srini Subramanian, the global government and public services consulting leader at Deloitte and co-author of the 2024 report.

/
OSTP Report Covers Federal Implementation of Scientific Integrity Policies
Published on
OSTP Report Covers Federal Implementation of Scientific Integrity Policies

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy has released a report outlining the key achievements that federal agencies have made to implement scientific integrity policies since the release of a presidential memorandum in 2021.

In the September report, OSTP noted that 19 federal agencies have updated or issued new policies to strengthen scientific integrity in government, the White House said Monday.

One of those agencies is the Department of Homeland Security, which released in September a directive that outlines the policy and requirements to promote a culture of scientific integrity and protect scientific processes from research misconduct and political interference, among others.

The final directive came a year after DHS sought public comments on the draft scientific integrity policy.

The biennial report also provided details on key measures to strengthen federal scientific integrity policies, including a January 2022 report on safeguarding the integrity of government science and a January 2023 framework for federal scientific integrity policy and practice.

Join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Homeland Security Summit on Nov. 13 to learn more about technology initiatives to protect the country amid the evolving geopolitical landscape. Register now!

POC - 2024 Homeland Security Summit
/
GAO Says Navy’s $130B Columbia Submarine Program Plagued by Delays, Cost Overruns
Published on
GAO Says Navy’s $130B Columbia Submarine Program Plagued by Delays, Cost Overruns

The U.S. Navy needs to better manage the risks associated with its project to acquire 12 Columbia class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines for $130 billion, according to the Government Accountability Office.

In a report published on Monday, GAO said design and construction challenges continue to plague the program, noting that the first vessel will be delivered over a year late and will cost the government more money.

The office reviewed the program’s latest construction performance and concluded that the first submarine will come out between October 2028 and February 2029.

Consequently, the late delivery would push back the initial submarine’s scheduled availability for operations in 2030 and affect the United States’ nuclear deterrence efforts, the report warned.

To address the delays and cost overruns, GAO urges the Navy to implement specific measures, such as establishing realistic program cost estimates and analysis to address the risk of further degrading the project’s performance.

It is also crucial for the service to rethink whether its investments in the supplier base led to higher production, resulted in significant cost savings and created the intended program benefits, the report stressed.

Overall, GAO submitted five recommendations, including that the Navy must direct its partner shipbuilder to revise the program’s estimated cost at completion.

For its part, the Department of Defense agreed with the suggestions and outlined the actions it would take to address them.

/
HHS Issues Strategic Healthcare Roadmap
Published on
HHS Issues Strategic Healthcare Roadmap

The Department of Health and Human Services has released its 2024–2030 Federal Health IT Strategic Plan, or PDFin, finalizing the goals and focus uses for U.S. health information technology. 

The 33-page PDFin calls for health IT and electronic data deployment to achieve four goals, including accelerating research and innovation, the HHS said Monday.   

The roadmap also calls for health IT and technology to drive health and wellness promotion, enhance care delivery and experience, and establish health system connection with health data.

The HHS Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, or ASTP, collaborated with over 25 federal agencies to develop the strategic plan and requested industry feedback after publishing it in March.

Micky Tripathi, assistant secretary for technology policy and national coordinator for health information technology, said the plan’s strategies “signal priorities to industry,” describing PDFin as “a guide” on prioritizing HHS resources, aligning and coordinating federal health IT initiatives and activities. 

Join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Healthcare Summit to keep pace with the trends and innovations shaping the future of the healthcare sector. Register here.

HHS Issues Strategic Healthcare Roadmap
/
US Navy Awards BlackSky Contract for Data Transmission R&D
Published on
US Navy Awards BlackSky Contract for Data Transmission R&D

The U.S. Navy has awarded BlackSky Technology a research contract to investigate technology that would provide warfighters with immediately available imagery during critical international and domestic missions.

Under the contract, BlackSky will identify uses and capabilities for advanced optical intersatellite link terminals on board its Gen-3 imaging satellites, the Herndon, Virginia-based company announced Thursday.

Brian O’Toole, BlackSky CEO, said, “BlackSky is making space a viable option for the tactical ISR mission.”

“Extending our Gen-3 satellite capabilities with optical inter-satellite link terminals will give Navy customers assured access to real-time earth imaging capabilities across the full range of warfighting scenarios both while underway and ashore,” O’Toole stated.

Optical intersatellite links are laser-based communications relays that reportedly transfer faster and more resilient data transmission rates than radio frequency systems. Through the contract, BlackSky will modernize its systems to accommodate an optical inter-satellite link terminal aligned with the Space Development Agency’s Transport Layer and commercial transport layers.

“End users will receive BlackSky data and insights ten times faster, with data volumes five times greater than current systems,” O’Toole added.

BlackSky will also look to develop innovative operating procedures that inform the acquisition of commercial transport network nodes, how data is transported and how to maintain the core Earth-imaging mission.

//
NOAA Initiates TraCSS Beta Phase with 9 Satellite Operators
Published on
NOAA Initiates TraCSS Beta Phase with 9 Satellite Operators

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, under the U.S. Department of Commerce, has initiated the beta phase of the Traffic Coordination System for Space.

The Commerce Department said Monday the TraCSS program, a cloud-based information technology system that warns satellites against possible collisions through conjunction data messages—a.k.a. CDMs—has started providing spaceflight safety services to a beta group of satellite operators.

This marks the first time satellite operators are given space situational awareness and space traffic coordination services by the DOC.

The nine satellite operators currently receiving notification warnings or CDMs include:

  • Aerospace Corp.
  • Eutelsat Oneweb
  • Georgia Institute of Technology
  • Intelsat
  • Iridium
  • Maxar
  • NOAA
  • Planet Labs
  • Telesat

Don Graves, deputy secretary of Commerce, pointed out the significance of the TraCSS program to the department’s efforts to boost the nation’s presence in the global commercial space industry. “The Department of Commerce is building this system in close cooperation with industry partners to harness and promote commercial innovation in space.”

NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, added, “As space has become more congested, NOAA has risen to the challenge to prevent catastrophic collisions in space by developing TraCSS.”

Richard Dalbello, director of NOAA’s Office of Space Commerce, said, “TraCSS represents a modern approach to spaceflight safety, integrating the latest technologies and providing on-ramps for continuous improvements that will scale into the future.”

Parsons, a national security services company specializing in the space domain, serves as the system integration and cloud management services lead for TraCSS.

Mike Kushin, president of defense and intelligence at Parsons, said, “This important milestone is a significant step toward developing a robust and secure system for space situational awareness, which is vital for the safety of our shared space environment and its assets in orbit.”

/
DIU Seeks Proposals for Long Range One-way UAS Platforms
Published on
DIU Seeks Proposals for Long Range One-way UAS Platforms

The Defense Innovation Unit has issued a solicitation for long-range one-way unmanned aerial systems.

According to the DIU, the proposals will address the need for advanced one-way UAS to be utilized in modern warfare and bolster the Department of Defense’s operational capabilities.

The DOD is seeking proposals for ground-launched, one-way UAS platforms that can operate at ranges from 50 to over 300 km and navigate at low altitudes while carrying a payload of 10 to over 25 kg.

These quick-launching UAS should be able to avoid detection by broad-area search systems and stay beyond line of sight in disrupted, disconnected, intermittent and low-bandwidth and Global Navigation Satellite System-denied environments. 

Furthermore, the UAS is expected to continue operating even without stable communication with the operator.

Interested vendors have until Oct. 14 to submit their proposals.

//
Lloyd Austin Says Replicator 2 to Focus on Counter-Drone Tech
Published on
Lloyd Austin Says Replicator 2 to Focus on Counter-Drone Tech

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has released a memo stating that the second phase of the Department of Defense’s Replicator initiative will focus on countering the threat posed by small unmanned aerial systems to force concentrations and critical installations.

In a Sept. 27 memo, the three-time Wash100 awardee said DOD expects Replicator 2 to help address challenges in the areas of technology innovation, production capacity, force structure, system integration, policies, authorities and open system architecture.

Austin directed Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks and Adm. Christopher Grady, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to oversee the development of a plan for Replicator 2 for inclusion in the president’s fiscal year 2026 budget request to Congress.

“My expectation is that Replicator 2 will deliver meaningfully improved C-sUAS protection to critical assets within 24 months of Congress approving funding,” Austin wrote in the memo.

The DOD secretary noted that the director of the Defense Innovation Unit will serve as the office of primary responsibility for the initiative and work with the defense undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment on the effort.

Austin tasked the military departments of the DOD with the development, production and deployment of Replicator 2-related capabilities.

“The Replicator 2 Initiative will leverage the work of the Counter Uncrewed Systems Warfighter Senior Integration Group, and collaborate closely with other ongoing efforts,” the secretary added.

/
DOD Office of Strategic Capital Issues 1st Notice of Funding Availability
Published on
DOD Office of Strategic Capital Issues 1st Notice of Funding Availability

The Department of Defense’s Office of Strategic Capital has outlined eligibility criteria and started the application process for loans through the launch of its first notice of funding availability, or NOFA.

DOD said Monday the NOFA marks OSC’s first call for applications to scale production and speed up commercialization efforts for critical defense technologies.

“With this Notice of Funding Availability, OSC establishes itself as a credible lending partner for U.S.-based companies that manufacture and produce critical technology components,” said Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks.

“This demonstrates that DoD is dedicated to using every tool in our toolbox to secure America’s and our military’s enduring technological advantage,” added the 2024 Wash100 awardee.

OSC will fund the equipment needs of companies to help them advance production across 31 covered tech categories identified as promising critical technologies in the fiscal year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act.

In March, OSC received congressional appropriations, enabling it to loan up to $984 million to eligible commercial entities under NOFAs.

In December 2022, Defense Secretary and three-time Wash100 Award recipient Lloyd Austin formed OSC to help attract and scale private capital for national security priorities.

1 … 235 236 237 238 239 … 2,657