The Government Accountability Office noted an improvement in the overall cost performance of 16 projects in NASA’s pipeline, with cost overruns declining from $12 billion in 2022 to $7.6 billion in 2023.

In its fifteenth annual assessment of major NASA projects, the government watchdog attributed last year’s cost growth to launches of the James Webb Space Telescope and other missions, which require significant spending.

GAO’s study covered Artemis major projects in the formulation and implementation phase, as well as non-Artemis missions including the Dragonfly rotocraft exploration of Saturn’s moon, and the On-orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing I satellite refueling program.

While the Webb Space Telescope incurred $4.5 billion in cost overruns in 2022, expenditures have not grown this year following its launch. The Space Launch System and Orion Multipurpose Crew Vehicle had consistent overruns in 2022 and 2023, valued at $2.7 billion and $2.5 billion, respectively.

Twelve of the 16 projects have experienced delays in schedule, which is contributing to cumulative cost performance.

GAO has given multiple recommendations to address gaps in NASA’s management of major projects. NASA has not followed 16 of the recommendations, but it has made efforts to improve performance, such as earlier acquisition strategy planning and discussion.

BAE Systems has introduced a new technology partnership initiative to cultivate relationships between its intelligence and security business unit and other organizations.

The Mission Advantage project is intended to drive collaboration between BAE Systems and program members to accelerate the delivery of advanced technologies and increase mission readiness for customers, the McLean, Virginia-based contractor announced on Wednesday.

Daniel Perkins, director of strategy and technology partnerships for BAE Systems’ intelligence and security arm, said that Mission Advantage will help the company better address complicated national security challenges and swiftly respond to changing client demands.

“Together with our partners, we’re unlocking and creating synergies that provide our customers a significant technological edge in support of national security,” he said.

Under the initiative, participating organizations will work alongside BAE Systems to assist customers with digital modernization through integration and advanced mission engineering or by providing dual-use commercial technologies useful to national security missions.

The project offers its participants the chance to grow their businesses through collaboration, mentorships, scalability and expanded access to customer opportunities. It will also allow BAE Systems to widen its portfolio of radar, cybersecurity, digital engineering and modeling and simulation capabilities.

Mission Advantage represents a continuation of BAE Systems’ recent partnership efforts. In December 2022, the organization teamed with Elbit Systems, Curtiss-Wright and QinetiQ to develop the U.S. Army’s Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle.

The previous month, BAE Systems formed a partnership with Purisolve, a small business, to create Promoveo Solutions. The new information technology-focused organization resulted from a U.S. Small Business Administration-approved mentoring agreement between the two parent companies.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has collated public feedback on the establishment of three new semiconductor institutes under Manufacturing USA.

NIST on Thursday published a summary of the comments, categorized into five areas: institute scope; structure and governance; co-investment and engagement strategies; education and workforce development; and metrics and success measurement.

In October, NIST issued a request for information to help ready its plans to create up to three new semiconductor research entities under the Manufacturing USA network.

Most of the responding organizations and industry experts agreed that the proposed institutes should be coordinated with the National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program, National Semiconductor Technology Center and other related CHIPS Research and Development entities.

They should also be modeled after existing Manufacturing USA organizations and implement equipment, facility and novel materials sharing to drive co-investment and engagement, according to the respondents.

NIST received suggestions to provide experiential learning opportunities not only for workers but also for students from primary to postgraduate education.

The majority of the feedback supported the use of existing Manufacturing USA best practices to develop metrics for assessing the impact and effectiveness of the new institutes.

CACI’s philanthropic unit has teamed with the San Antonio Museum of Science and Technology as part of efforts to uplift the future science, technology, engineering and math workforce.

Under the partnership, CACI Cares is sponsoring two new SAMSAT initiatives to promote education and opportunities for young people in STEM and support the museum’s mission of “inspiring what’s next,” the Reston, Virginia-based enterprise announced on Thursday.

“CACI works closely with the U.S. Air Force to fulfill its important missions and is an active member of the San Antonio community,” said DeEtte Gray, president of business and information technology solutions at CACI and a seven-time Wash100 Award winner.

“As we continue to grow our presence in this area, our support of STEM education and SAMSAT enables future talent to consider a career in national security,” she added.

Sponsored programs include SAMSAT’s new Tech Port Innovation Center and the interactive CACI Cyber City exhibit, a LEGO model of San Antonio built with the company’s City Block technology. This software-based cyber-physical modeling and simulation tool allows cybersecurity experts, network administrators and industrial control systems and operational technology security testers to train and execute cybersecurity operations.

“City Block leverages virtual reality, 3D modeling, and other technologies to help our military partners prepare for the digital battlefield of the future,” elaborated Todd Probert, president of national security and innovative solutions at CACI and a two-time Wash100 Award recipient.

To assemble the model, CACI staff volunteered for over 200 hours with the help of more than 20 STEM student contributors.

Probert expressed the organization’s excitement for its software to be used to exercise young minds. He said that CACI hopes to inspire these students to join the company and support its work to safeguard the U.S. from cyber threats.

Established in 2016, SAMSAT was created with a goal of supporting STEM education while connecting K-12 and college students, universities, industry, federal agencies and nonprofits across the San Antonio area.

The museum currently offers educational opportunities through tours, online programs and mobile demonstrations, as well as STEM camps and clubs and adult-centered events.

A bipartisan bill that would suspend the debt ceiling through January 2025 and reduce federal spending is now headed to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature after the Senate passed the measure on Thursday in a 63-36 vote, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

The proposed Fiscal Responsibility Act would impose a 3 percent limit on increases for military spending in fiscal year 2024, increase the age of individuals who must work to get food assistance and accelerate energy and infrastructure projects.

The passage of the bill in the upper chamber came a day after the House voted 314-117 to approve the measure and several days ahead of the June 5 deadline, when Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said the government could default on its obligations if Congress fails to raise or suspend the debt ceiling.

Biden said the legislation protects the key pillars of his Investing in America agenda, safeguards programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security and fully funds veterans’ medical care.

“No one gets everything they want in a negotiation, but make no mistake: this bipartisan agreement is a big win for our economy and the American people,” the president said in a statement published Thursday.