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NOAA’s GOES-19 Satellite Is Officially Operational
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NOAA’s GOES-19 Satellite Is Officially Operational

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has announced that its GOES-19 satellite is officially operational as GOES East.

The agency said Monday GOES-19, the final GOES-R series satellite launched in June 2024, is now the primary geostationary satellite for the Western Hemisphere. It replaces GOES-16, situated 22,236 miles above the equator at 75.2 degrees west longitude. 

What Are the Main Functions of GOES-19?

GOES-19 will monitor hurricanes and tropical storms in the Atlantic Ocean. It will also track environmental events such as extreme weather conditions, atmospheric rivers, volcanic eruptions and wildfires affecting the contiguous U.S. The satellite will provide data such as high-resolution visible and infrared images, atmospheric measurements and real-time detection of lightning activity to support weather forecasters, emergency managers and first responders. The data gathered by GOES-19 will also help the aviation and shipping industries.

Furthermore, GOES-19 will also observe the sun using advanced instruments, including the compact coronagraph, the first iteration of which has been dubbed CCOR-1. The CCOR-1 is capable of identifying and analyzing coronal mass ejections that can cause geomagnetic storms, auroras and disruptions to technology. Data gathered by the CCOR-1 will be used to determine potential geomagnetic storms, enabling NOAA to issue warnings early.

With the deployment of GOES-19, all GOES-R satellites are now in orbit and operational. As GOES East, the satellite will work with GOES-18, or GOES West, in tracking the weather over half of the planet. GOES-16 will serve as a backup for NOAA’s operational geostationary constellation.

“With GOES-19 now in operation, NOAA has delivered the full fleet of GOES-R satellites to orbit, providing the most sophisticated technology ever flown in space to help forecast weather on Earth,” said Stephen Volz, assistant administrator for NOAA’s satellite and information service.

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Space Force’s Orbital Watch Opens UCI Sharing With Industry
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Space Force’s Orbital Watch Opens UCI Sharing With Industry

A new platform under the Front Door office within the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command will streamline the two-way flow of unclassified information, or UCI, with the commercial space sector on threats deemed critical to USSF operations. 

Called Orbital Watch, the initiative will tap Front Door’s “vast ties to industry” as a conduit for threat information dissemination, Col. Richard Kniseley, senior materiel leader of SSC’s Commercial Space Office, said in the command’s Tuesday announcement of the program.

“This initiative is in direct alignment with the DOD Commercial Space Integration Strategy and the USSF Commercial Space Strategy, as well as congressional guidance,” the SSC official noted further.

SSC’s Phased-In Implementation Approach

Front Office is activating Orbital Watch in stages, with its initial beta phase aimed at providing industry with quarterly UCI assessments of risks evolving within the space domain. In its full operational capability phase, the platform will create a “Commercial Portal” to enable a secure two-way threat information-sharing between government and the commercial space sector.

To launch the platform, Front Door recently released to more than 900 commercial space services providers an unclassified threat fact sheet prepared by Headquarters Space Force Intelligence, SSC said.

“Front Door is the USSF organization with the technological capability and authority to disseminate unclassified threat information to a growing catalog of commercial space providers in a timely and organized manner,” noted Victor Vigliotti, SSC Front Door director.

IC, Pentagon Partners

Orbital Watch is being undertaken in cooperation with the intelligence community and the Pentagon’s Space Policy office, according to a Breaking Defense report. Interest from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence triggered the establishment of Orbital Watch, Kniseley also told Breaking Defense.

Front Door was established in October 2022 to facilitate SSC’s industry engagement through a team of personnel that can respond to inquiries of companies seeking to do business with the service branch.

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DOGE Efforts Promise GovCon Digital Transformation Opportunities
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DOGE Efforts Promise GovCon Digital Transformation Opportunities

The federal government’s consolidation or termination of what it deems unproductive digital transformation efforts promises to create business opportunities for government contractors, according to a three-time Wash100 Award winner.

Jerry McGinn, George Mason University Center for Government Contracting executive director, told ExecutiveGov on Wednesday that despite the cancellation or consolidation of certain programs, these IT modernization goals will not go away. These business opportunities, he said, focusing on using AI and more commercial approaches to IT modernization, will have to be competed in the next year in order to have an impact during the second President Donald Trump administration.

“This administration has an agenda, they have been looking for ways to cut personnel and cut what they call unproductive contracts,” McGinn said. “But they’re going to want to invest in areas they are focusing on.”

Be the first to learn about these digital transformation business opportunities at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Digital Transformation Summit on April 24. Hear from top federal IT executives and industry experts about how you can capitalize on the federal government’s $80 billion in IT spending. Sign up today!

Overlapping IT Procurement Authorities

The original January 20 executive order that created the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, specifically chartered the organization to modernize federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity. The White House wasted little time targeting overlapping procurement authorities in the procurement of IT within the federal government. Trump on March 20 issued an executive order designating the head of the General Services Administration as the executive agent for all government-wide acquisition contracts for IT within 30 days.

DOD on March 20 cancelled a human resources IT program that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth deemed not a good use of taxpayer funds. A software development program for the Defense Civilian Human Resources Management System, or DCHRMS, was intended to streamline a significant portion of DOD’s legacy human resources program.

But DOD said the program, which started in 2018 and was supposed to take one year to develop at a cost of $36 million, was now nearly eight years behind schedule and $280 million over budget, an increase of 509 percent in inflation-adjusted dollars.

Why Is DOGE Targeting IT?

McGinn said DOGE is targeting IT procurement because of the federal government’s “big, big” business acquiring IT services. Government contractors who want to succeed in this new era of program cutting and consolidation, he said, need to be very attuned to the priorities of the Trump administration. Companies must also position and tailor their offerings and solutions to best address the administration’s priorities.

Take advantage of the opportunity to learn straight from DOD digital transformation leaders about their procurement priorities at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Digital Transformation Summit on April 24. Learn how to best position your firm ahead of competitors and gain market share in an unprecedented procurement landscape. Don’t miss out!

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Telos Opens 10 New TSA PreCheck Enrollment Locations
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Telos Opens 10 New TSA PreCheck Enrollment Locations

Telos has opened 10 new sites in eight states for the Transportation Security Administration PreCheck program, bringing the total number of the program’s enrollment centers across the U.S. to 243.

The Ashburn, Virginia-based company said the new locations in California, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Maryland, Louisiana, Oregon and Washington started offering enrollment and renewal services on Monday.

“Telos is proud to bring TSA PreCheck to your neighborhood for an easy, convenient enrollment experience,” said John Wood, CEO and chairman of Telos. “Adding these new locations in California, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana, Maryland, Oregon and Washington expands TSA PreCheck enrollment access to more travelers.”

What Is the TSA PreCheck Program?

Launched in 2013, TSA PreCheck is a Trusted Traveler program of the Department of Homeland Security designed to expedite airport security screening for enrolled travelers. Enrolled passengers can get through security checkpoints without being required to remove their shoes, belts and light jackets. They can also keep their electronic devices and 3-1-1 compliant liquids in carry-on bags.

There are more than 20 million active members in the TSA PreCheck program, which has lanes at over 200 airports in the U.S. More than 90 airlines participate in the initiative.

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NIST Updates Guidance on Incident Response Recommendations for CRM
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NIST Updates Guidance on Incident Response Recommendations for CRM

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has released updated guidance outlining ways to incorporate incident recommendations and considerations into cybersecurity risk management activities in alignment with the second iteration of its Cybersecurity Framework, or CSF 2.0.

NIST said Thursday the Special Publication 800-61 Revision 3 seeks to help organizations mitigate the impact of cyber incidents and enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of their incident detection, response and recovery efforts.

Incident Response Life Cycle Model Based on 6 CSF 2.0 Functions

The publication presents an updated incident response life cycle model based on the six functions of CSF 2.0: govern, identify, protect, detect, respond and recover.

According to NIST, the govern, identify and protect functions help organizations prevent cybersecurity incidents, prepare to manage incidents that occur, reduce the impact of such incidents and enhance incident response and cyber risk management practices based on lessons learned.

Meanwhile, the detect, respond and recover functions seek to help organizations discover, prioritize, manage and recover from cyber incidents, as well as conduct incident reporting, notification and other incident-related communications.

CSF 2.0 Community Profile

The document includes a section defining NIST’s CSF 2.0 Community Profile for cyber incident risk management.

According to NIST, the profile uses the CSF Core as the basis for prioritizing cyber outcomes that are key to incident response, offers recommendations and gives other supporting information on certain CSF outcomes within the context of incident response.

Attend the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Cyber Summit on May 15 and hear experts discuss new cyber policies, modernization strategies and more. Register now!

POC - 2025 Cyber Summit
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Army Project Convergence Coming to Pacific Theater for Next Experiments
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Army Project Convergence Coming to Pacific Theater for Next Experiments

The U.S. Army wrapped up the first part of the 2025 Project Convergence, the service’s warfighting experiment, and is now prepping for the next phase to be conducted in the western Pacific. Lt. Gen. David Hodne, director of the Futures and Concepts Center at Army Futures Command, said at a recent event that the next portion of Project Convergence will expand to the Philippines, Japan, Tahiti and Australia. 

The multinational events aim to develop advanced capabilities for the Department of Defense’s Joint All-Domain Command and Control concept. According to Hodne, Project Convergence is a series of experiments that will conclude in May. 

Part A of Project Convergence took place in the National Training Center at Fort Irwin in California in March. About 6,000 military personnel participated in the event to field new technologies. 

Why Is Project Convergence Going to the Pacific?

Part B of Project Convergence will test capabilities across geographical distances, something that troops cannot do at Fort Irwin.

“There won’t be any walking across the street from Tahiti to the Philippines,” the official explained. “It will be assured data, assured communications with tactical, operational, strategic distances. If we can converge that data-centric command and control from the combatant command to the corps and the corps to the squad, we can converge that capability from the squad all the way to the combatant command and we can be far more effective.” 

Brig. Gen. Zachary Miller, commander of the Army’s Joint Modernization Command, said JADC2 is designed to work in the Pacific theater. Among the challenges the Army and other military services will try to address in the experimentation is joint communications. 

Miller pointed out that the services must be able to put their sensors together to detect threats. 

What Is Next for Project Convergence?

Hodne revealed that a third component of Project Convergence is the Army’s Title 10 wargame called Future Studies Program, or FSP. 

The Army plans to further evolve Project Convergence in 2026. According to Hodne, the next iteration of the experimentation series will bring together other Army experiments such as the Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiment. 

Military leaders and experts will come together at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Army Summit on June 18 to discuss the Army’s most urgent priorities and challenges. Register for the in-person event now!

Army Project Convergence Coming to Pacific Theater for Next Experiments
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NOAA to Purchase More Commercial Radio Occultation Data to Support Weather Monitoring
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NOAA to Purchase More Commercial Radio Occultation Data to Support Weather Monitoring

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has revealed plans to purchase commercial radio occultation data as a service from diverse orbits. The agency said that it intends to increase procurement of RO data in the equatorial, polar and mid-latitude regions.

US Government Turns to Industry for RO Data

NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Services, or NESDIS,  is conducting a study on possible alternatives for Global Navigation Satellite System RO capabilities to replace its remote-sensing satellite constellation built to deliver atmospheric data. The Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate-2, or COSMIC-2, is made up of six small satellites for weather forecasting and climate research. 

COSMIC-2, launched in June 2019, is nearing the end of its operational life. 

The results of phase 1 of NOAA’s RO architecture analysis of alternatives were published in January and it highlights the critical need of the agency for not just multiple, coordinated orbits but observation refresh rate of six hours in the tropics. By expanding commercial data acquisition, NOAA hopes to meet required commercial data with continuous global coverage for forecasting and researching Earth and space weather. 

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AFSOC Receives First Missionized OA-1K Skyraider II
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AFSOC Receives First Missionized OA-1K Skyraider II

The U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command has officially accepted the OA-1K Skyraider II to its fleet.

The Air Force said Friday the AFSOC received the first missionized Skyraider II during a ceremony held at the Hurlburt Field in Florida on April 3. Guests at the event included AFSOC representatives, local community leaders, retired Lt. Col. Bill Buice and Phillip Edward Jennings. The 98-year-old Buice was an A-1 Skyraider pilot while Jennings is the one who rescued him after he was shot down in Vietnam. The new Skyraider II is named after the A-1 Skyraider.

What Is the Skyraider II?

The OA-1K Skyraider II is a new crewed aircraft designed for various applications or missions. Its adaptability reportedly allows it to perform close air support, precision attacks and armed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, or ISR, operations.

The AFSOC’s newest airframe is based on the Air Tractor AT-802. The highly adaptable Skyraider II not only enables operators to accomplish various missions, but also creates complex challenges for opposing forces. It is also more cost-effective than other special operations aircraft as it requires less maintenance and operational expenses.

“Skyraider II represents not just a new platform, but a modular solution to our national security needs,” said Lt. Gen. Michael Conley, AFSOC commander. “It will redefine how we approach joint campaigning, crisis response and the evolving landscape of modern warfare,” he added.

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Space Force Fast-Tracks NSSL GPS III-7 Mission Launch
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Space Force Fast-Tracks NSSL GPS III-7 Mission Launch

The U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command and Space Operations Command have revealed plans to launch the National Security Space Launch, or NSSL, Global Positioning System III-7 mission by the end of May this year.

The SSC said Monday the upcoming NSSL mission aims to deploy the GPS III Space Vehicle 08 in orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Accelerated Space Force Missions

The expected NSSL launch follows the Rapid Response Trailblazer launch in December last year. The mission’s accelerated timeline showcases the two field commands’ enhanced responsiveness. A typical mission takes up to 24 months to prepare, but the NSSL GPS III-7 mission will have only about three months before its scheduled launch.

To fast-track the launch, the field commands will enforce a comprehensive integration of efforts from various Space Force organizations to accomplish the feat. The work will include pre-launch processing of the SV-08 by SpOC’s Mission Delta 31, which will also work with Lockheed Martin to speed up the delivery of the GPS III satellite. The satellite will then be rapidly integrated with the Falcon 9 launch vehicle before preparing the space vehicle for launch.

Enhancing Warfighter Capabilities

The aim of the GPS III-7 mission is to boost the capabilities of combatants, particularly during operations, by rapidly deploying modernized precision, navigation and timing capabilities to the joint force. The GPS III satellite will be equipped with M-Code technology, which enhances the accuracy and resistance to jamming of the warfighter’s capabilities by three and eight times, respectively.

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New LIFT Center Offers Advanced Metallic Production, Processing Capabilities
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New LIFT Center Offers Advanced Metallic Production, Processing Capabilities

Organizations and companies in the U.S. industrial base, including academia and startups, have been invited to tap the capabilities of the Advanced Metallic Production and Processing, or AMPP, Center that the Leading Innovations For Tomorrow, or LIFT, program has established in Detroit. 

The center can rapidly bring concepts of new materials to prototype, testing and production, Nigel Francis, LIFT’s CEO and executive director, said in the institute’s Monday announcement of the center’s opening. “The pace of advanced manufacturing innovation is accelerating, and the development of novel materials is crucial to keeping the U.S. ahead of global competitors,” Francis stated.

DOD-Backed Program With Industry Network

LIFT, a public-private partnership with the Department of Defense technology program under the National Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Institute, established the AMPP Center to serve as a collaboration hub among its close to 400 members and key industry players.

The program’s membership network includes original equipment manufacturers, materials producers and developers, and parts manufacturers. They can rely on the center for metallic production and processing capabilities, such as materials production, accelerating product availability and delivery, and toll processing and contract manufacturing.

Advanced Capabilities in Rapid Materials Development

The center is geared to produce metals across all alloy types and process them into top quality metal powder, wire and rod feedstocks. It offers capabilities to hasten materials development through advanced processes, such as additive manufacturing. With the center’s support, domestic manufacturers can reduce risks and costs of materials development, while also accelerating product availability on the market, according to LINK. 

In addition to the AMPP Center, LIFT has opened a satellite unit in Puerto Rico to convene technology partners in advanced materials development and manufacturing. LIFT’s funding support from DOD is managed through the Office of Naval Research. 

In May 2023, the manufacturing innovation program secured a new five-year $49.4 million support through a cooperative agreement with ONR, enabling LIFT to join the Manufacturing USA network and showcase its work in materials, manufacturing, systems engineering and material characterization.

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