NASA has re-established the space agency’s Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Texas as a site for heavy-lift balloon launch missions.

The agency said Wednesday it is scheduled to launch the Balloon-borne Imaging Telescope  payload Thursday night to conduct galactic observations as part of a technology demonstration initiative.

NASA has not had a major balloon campaign at the CSBF site since 2007.

“Re-establishing CSBF as a launch site fills an operational gap, significantly enhancing our ability to deliver short-duration nighttime flight observation,” said Debbie Fairbrother, NASA’s balloon program office chief.

SuperBIT weighs 1,540 pounds and is built to fly on a 29.47-million-cubic-foot scientific balloon.

NASA noted it aims to evaluate and validate the technology during the flight test in preparation for the agency’s balloon-borne research.

Wayne Lewandowski, vice president of federal operations at Vormetric, has said the federal government should develop a cybersecurity strategy that focuses on the adoption of encryption and access controls for privileged users in order to safeguard critical data from cyber attacks.

Lewandowski wrote in a Federal News Radio commentary published Wednesday that such a strategy calls for the implementation of a “detailed discovery” approach to identify sensitive information.

“This approach, which is best done with encryption, access controls to encrypted data and then monitoring of access patterns for privileged users is the best first step to take to limit the damage from penetrations to the network and extraction of data,” Lewandowski said.

“Nothing is an absolute in security… but, encryption with access-based controls has proved effective at removing many threat vectors associated with system administrators and root access,” he added.

Lewandowski wrote computer systems across federal agencies need updates in order to facilitate integration with “modern security tools” and cybersecurity training against phishing and other cyber threats.

He also mentioned the programs under President Barack Obama’s Cybersecurity National Action Plan that include the proposed $3.1 billion fund for federal information technology system updates and the development of a national commission focused on cyber.

The U.S. House has unanimously passed a bipartisan bill co-authored by Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-Pennsylvania) and 28 other colleagues that seeks to reform how the federal government manages software licenses.

Cartwright’s office said Wednesday the Making Electronic Government Accountable By Yielding Tangible Efficiencies Act of 2016 received a 366-0 vote and will work to codify and support the current administration’s $4 billion effort to manage IT software licenses.

“Of the twenty-four major federal agencies, only two have implemented policies of comprehensive and clear management of software licenses,” said Cartwright.

“The MEGABYTE Act is the first in a series of steps we can take to minimize wasteful software spending, and to promote efficient procurement of technology.”

The bill would have the Office of Management and Budget issue a directive to require chief information officers at each executive agency to develop a comprehensive software licensing policy that will track and maintain such licenses, analyze software usage and provide management training.

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) has introduced similar legislation in the Senate

The Government Accountability Office has listed IT software license management as a main priority in its annual duplication report, Cartwright’s office said.

The House Homeland Security Committee has approved a bill to reorganize the Department of Homeland Security‘s cybersecurity functions and component responsibilities, Nextgov reported Wednesday.

Aliya Sternstein writes the bill would have DHS turn its National Protection and Programs Directorate into an operational agency under the name of Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection, which would be led by current NPPD leader Suzanne Spaulding.

DHS proposed the name adoption in April as part of efforts to expand its identity to its workforce and other interested stakeholders.

Nextgov said the reorganization would see Phyllis Schneck, current deputy undersecretary for cybersecurity and communications at NPPD, transition into an assistant secretary position and have a principal deputy director oversee cybersecurity.

A separate agency assistant director will oversee DHS’ cybersecurity information sharing program, according to the report.

EmeSec CEO Maria Horton has said the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program‘s plans to revamp its accreditation process could shorten the approval timelines for cloud service providers and require additional costs.

In a guest piece published Wednesday by MeriTalk, Horton wrote the proposed changes could help CSPs gain an authority to operate within three to six months.

Horton added the planned “readiness capabilities assessment” feature could give the FedRAMP Program Management Office a retrospective look into CSPs’ performance as well as help CSPs identify measures to promote their offerings.

She also said the proposed process could also add costs and risks for CSPs since third party assessment organizations will conduct the initial system evaluation.

The provisional ATO path is less likely to be used if the changes are implemented since the process looks to limit CSPs that could go through FedRAMP Accelerated or gain P-ATOs, Horton noted.