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NASA, Partners to Develop First Quantum Gravity Sensor
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NASA, Partners to Develop First Quantum Gravity Sensor

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has collaborated with private companies and academic institutions to develop and deploy the first space-based quantum sensor capable of measuring gravity.

Boosting Earth Observation With Quantum Sensors

The agency said Tuesday the Quantum Gravity Gradiometer Pathfinder, or QGGPf, project, supported by NASA’s Earth Science Technology Office, aims to revolutionize quantum sensing and conduct pioneering research related to the Earth’s gravitational field. This potentially includes planetary exploration and studies of natural resources such as freshwater sources, petroleum reserves, aquifers and mineral deposits. The QGGPf is also intended for navigation, resource management and national security.

How Will the Quantum Gravity Gradiometer Pathfinder Work?

Gravity gradiometers measure the difference in acceleration between two free-falling objects or test masses to determine gravitational strength. The quantum gravity gradiometer is designed to measure the difference in acceleration between the matter waves of two clouds of ultra-cold rubidium atoms. The result will be used for detecting gravitational anomalies.

Using these atoms as test masses enables the compact and efficient QGGPf to be deployed aboard a single spacecraft and measure gravity. The quantum gravity gradiometer’s quantum sensors are estimated to be ten times more sensitive than traditional sensors, enhancing the potential for more accurate gravity measurements.

The technology validation mission, planned for launch at the end of the decade, is meant to assess advanced technologies designed to manipulate atomic interactions of light and matter.

The JPL team of researchers partnered with AOSense and Infleqtion to develop the sensor head while NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center collaborated with Vector Atomic on the laser optical system.

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MITRE Issues Guidance for Adopting Open Architecture Defense Systems
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software development

MITRE is urging the Department of Defense to adopt new architectural principles that enable interoperability, adaptability and future-proofing in response to evolving battlefield needs. The not-for-profit organization on Tuesday published a strategy to guide the Pentagon’s approach to acquiring and implementing new capabilities.

Modern Capabilities Require Interoperability

MITRE, in the strategy, highlighted the modular open systems approach, or MOSA, as a way to accelerate the development and deployment of technologies. MOSA decomposes systems into their critical functions with standardized interfaces and are capable of working together. 

However, according to the organization, some challenges prevent the government from fully realizing the potential of MOSA. Restrictive enforcement of data standards, overly prescriptive definitions of system components and verifying interoperability across various systems can prevent the public sector from reaping the benefits of open systems. 

Shifting Away From a Traditional Mindset

To address challenges associated with adopting MOSA, MITRE recommends new architectural principles that include breaking data silos, establishing modular boundaries, setting measures of effectiveness, and balancing intellectual property rights and sourcing to gain the best capabilities.

The strategy also suggests that decision-makers also consider switching costs, which refers to the impact of moving from one solution to another, and opportunity costs that come from developing overly conservative architectures, in addition to traditional metrics of cost, single-pass schedule and performance.

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DISA Launches Endguard Cyber Defense Tool to Enhance Navy Readiness Reporting Enterprise
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DISA Launches Endguard Cyber Defense Tool to Enhance Navy Readiness Reporting Enterprise

The Defense Information Systems Agency announced on LinkedIn Tuesday that it has launched a new cyber defense tool in December 2024, aimed at significantly enhancing the U.S. Navy Readiness Reporting Enterprise, or NRRE, service provider.

What Is Endguard?

The agency’s Endguard cybersecurity platform, approved by the Strategic Resourcing and Requirements Council, utilizes Microsoft Defender to safeguard vulnerable endpoints like laptops and internet-enabled sensors through endpoint detection and response, along with managed threat hunting in a single platform.

The NRRE is the first major customer to onboard Endguard. It is a family of systems working together to provide the Navy with timely readiness posture assessment and reporting, as well as crucial commands backed up by fleet preparedness data to support decision-making at various levels.

DISA expects a total of 192 cybersecurity service providers to migrate to Endguard by 2027. The agency’s cybersecurity service provider teams are focusing on supporting the initial datacenter deployment. The DISA Cybersecurity Service Provider collects raw data through the Microsoft Defender for Servers, boosting its Microsoft Defender for Endpoint deployment for server workloads. The collected information is then utilized by analysts for expanded threat hunting, targeting sophisticated attacks like ‘Living Off the Land’ binaries.

Deric Bumbaugh, customer management team lead at DISA, stated, “The service delivery that DISA Cybersecurity Service Provider provides to customers ultimately secures the DOD data inside of the mission space. With Endguard, we have the ability to interact in real time, and the collaboration between us and the MP is essential to level-set expectations between the two parties.”

Potomac Officers Club is hosting the 2025 Cyber Summit on May 15. Register now and learn about emerging cyber threats, new cyber policies, initiatives and challenges from leading cyber experts, government decision-makers and industry executives.

DISA Launches Endguard Cyber Defense Tool to Enhance Navy Readiness Reporting Enterprise
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OSC Solicits Industry Input on Planned SSA Data Contract Structure
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Logo of NOAA

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Space Commerce has issued a request for information on the structure of an upcoming contract to obtain space situational awareness data and services.

The RFI seeks industry input on the attributes of a planned blanket purchase agreement or indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract that would allow flexibility or optimal participation by vendors, OSC said Tuesday. The BPA and IDIQ will serve as the prime vehicles for acquiring commercial SSA data and services that will be integrated into the Traffic Coordination System for Space, or TraCSS.

NOAA/OSC RFI Terms

OSC also requires information on other acquisition vehicles that could address the need to engage with the commercial SSA industry for data and services that can be used for TraCSS. The RFI was released to improve the government’s understanding of industry capabilities, enhance its ability to procure services at reasonable cost, and increase the efficiency of proposal preparation, evaluation, negotiation and contract award.

In line with the future requirement, the government is interested to learn more about ground-based and space-based sensor tracking observations on space objects, orbit determination services, ephemerides generation services, conjunction assessment services, risk assessment services, data quality monitoring services, space weather services and SSA-related analytics and services.

Interested parties are encouraged to send their submissions no later than May 6.

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Battelle Searches for New PNNL Director After Incumbent Steps Down
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Battelle Searches for New PNNL Director After Incumbent Steps Down

Battelle, the company managing Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for the Department of Energy, will search for a new PNNL director, as its incumbent, Steven Ashby, steps down for a new role at Battelle. Ashby has contributed a “remarkable legacy of scientific discovery” as the company’s longest-tenured lab director, Lou Von Thaer, Battelle president and CEO and a Wash100 awardee, said in a PNNL statement Monday. 

“We are grateful to Steve for his decade of leadership at PNNL and look forward to further benefitting from his knowledge and expertise as he takes on an expanded role with our national laboratory operations team,” Thaer remarked.

Steven Ashby’s PNNL Career

Ashby has been leading PNNL since 2015, managing its $1.6 billion research budget and about 6,400 Batelle employees assigned to PNNL operations. Under his tenure, the lab undertook a $1 billion campus modernization that replaced aging infrastructure and installed new research facilities, such as the Energy Sciences Center and Grid Storage Launchpad. Ashby also established several strategic PNNL collaborations, including six joint institutes with five major universities. 

Other alliances that PNNL forged in recent years included a collaboration with Microsoft and the University of Washington to advance multisector research on quantum information science. In January 2024, the DOE lab also partnered with Microsoft to accelerate scientific discovery through the combination of advanced artificial intelligence with high-performance cloud computing.

Ashby cited his PNNL tenure as the highlight of his career. “I am proud of all that we have accomplished, and I look forward to watching PNNL continue to thrive and deliver amazing outcomes for our nation,” he commented.

Other Career Highlights

Previous to his director’s role at the lab, Ashby served as PNNL deputy director for science and technology for over six years, according to his LinkedIn profile. He began his career at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory where he worked for over 12 years and served last as the lab’s deputy principal associate director for science and technology.

Battelle expects to appoint a new PNNL director in four to eight months, and Ashby will stay as lab director in the meantime. With his successor in place, he will take on the role of Batelle senior vice president of strategic partnerships to support management of Battelle-affiliated laboratories.

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Derek Tournear to Resume Duties as SDA Director
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Derek Tournear to Resume Duties as SDA Director

Derek Tournear, director of the Space Development Agency and a previous Wash100 awardee, will resume his duties as head of SDA on Thursday, April 17, Breaking Defense reported Monday.

William Blauser’s Appointment as Acting SDA Director

In early February, the Air Force appointed William Blauser, deputy director of the Rapid Capabilities Office, as interim director of SDA to address the need for full-time leadership at SDA and Space Systems Command.

Prior to Blauser’s appointment, Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant, commander of Space Systems Command, led SDA on an acting basis.

Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture

As head of SDA, Tournear oversees efforts to develop, deploy and operate the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, or PWSA.

PWSA is part of the Department of Defense’s Joint All-Domain Command and Control, or JADC2, effort and seeks to provide U.S. warfighters and allies with reliable and resilient space capabilities through a layered network of satellites in low Earth orbit.

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Catalyst Accelerator Selects Six Startups for the Oklahoma Government Business Boot Camp
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Catalyst Accelerator Selects Six Startups for the Oklahoma Government Business Boot Camp

The Catalyst Accelerator, backed by the Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate, has selected six small companies to participate in its new government business boot camp that will run from June 2-13 at the University of Tulsa.

Oklahoma Government Business Boot Camp

The Catalyst Accelerator said Monday the Oklahoma Government Business Boot Camp, hosted in collaboration with Oklahoma Cyber Innovation, is designed to help startups with innovative technologies based in the state gain the knowledge and resources necessary to navigate the government contracting landscape.

During the two-week program, the selected small businesses can learn from government leaders, business consultants and other subject matter experts while establishing connections within the industry and local government.

Companies Selected for Business Boot Camp

These are the six companies selected to participate:

  • AirWise Solutions, a company specializing in 3D situational awareness using drones and geographic information systems spatial data.
  • Burgess Aerospace Innovations, developer of hybrid-electric propulsion and high-speed aerospace technologies for defense, including uncrewed aircraft systems.
  • CubeNexus, which is focusing on advancing data processing by structuring sensor and IoT streams into a 4D format.
  • DeltaX Propulsion, which aims to revolutionize electric propulsion systems for small satellites and spacecraft.
  • Organizely, which is working on a platform that enhances workflow productivity and efficiency using an intelligent automation engine.
  • Terradac Technologies, which is developing environmental sensing technologies, particularly a carbon dioxide emissions sensor.

 

“The innovation ecosystem in Oklahoma is so dynamic and talented. I’m incredibly honored and looking forward to working with all of them,” said Shae Thomas, program director at the Catalyst Accelerator.

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NASA Integrates Critical Artemis II Rocket Component
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NASA Integrates Critical Artemis II Rocket Component

NASA brought the Artemis II rocket closer to launch by integrating the launch vehicle stage adapter onto the Space Launch System core stage on April 12 at the Kennedy Space Center’s vehicle assembly building.

Critical Artemis II Rocket Components

The agency said Monday its Exploration Ground Systems Program technicians managed to lift the cone-shaped adapter by 250 feet and install it onto the core stage using a 325-ton crane. The launch vehicle stage adapter is designed to link the SLS core stage and the interim cryogenic propulsion stage, a vital component required to power the Artemis II test flight around the moon. The adapter is crucial for maintaining structural integrity and safeguarding the upper stage’s avionics and electrical devices from severe vibrations and acoustic conditions during the launch and ascent.

NASA will now focus on stacking the interim cryogenic propulsion stage onto the launch vehicle stage adapter. The stage adapter was manufactured by Teledyne Brown Engineering at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., under the Amentum Space Exploration Division’s Engineering Services and Science Capability Augmentation contract.

Artemis II Test Flight

NASA’s Artemis II test flight aims to launch four astronauts on a 10-day mission to orbit the moon and evaluate the systems and hardware necessary for future human deep space exploration. This will be the first crewed mission under the Artemis program, which intends to deploy humans on the lunar surface and prepare for planned crewed missions to Mars.

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ITI Seeks to Advance Quantum Tech With New Policy Guide
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ITI Seeks to Advance Quantum Tech With New Policy Guide

The Information Technology Industry Council, or ITI, has introduced a policy guide that outlines strategic principles and offers recommendations for government agencies and companies to advance the use of quantum technologies.

“Gaining first mover advantage in quantum technologies can offer governments and companies significant strategic benefits, particularly when they work together,” John Miller, senior vice president of policy for trust, data and technology and general counsel at ITI, said in a statement published Monday.

“To make the most of this moment, ITI’s Quantum Technology Policy Guide can equip policymakers, industry partners, and other stakeholders with knowledge to realize quantum’s real-life promise for global economies, maximize research and development opportunities, navigate supply chain and cybersecurity challenges, build a skilled workforce, and stay ahead in the evolving tech landscape,” Miller said.

Six Policy Principles

The global tech trade association outlines six policy principles in the document. The first three are: unleashing innovation and investment in quantum technologies, supporting the development of a resilient quantum technologies supply chain and considering the cybersecurity and privacy implications of quantum technologies.

The other three strategic principles are: developing a skilled quantum workforce, adopting a balanced approach to quantum technologies governance and prioritizing global engagement and cooperation on quantum technologies.

Unleashing Innovation & Investment in Quantum Tech

Each policy principle comes with specific actions to support the design and development of pro-innovation public policy.

To promote innovation and investment in quantum technologies, ITI recommends developing and supporting policies that incentivize public and private sector investments in quantum tech-focused research and development efforts.

According to the trade group, policymakers should prioritize the development of resilient data center infrastructure and advance policies that integrate quantum technologies and conventional computing. These should include exascale, high-performance computing and supercomputing.

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NAVWAR Official Says Catapult Initiative Accelerating Adoption of Small Business Innovations
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NAVWAR Official Says Catapult Initiative Accelerating Adoption of Small Business Innovations

The U.S. Navy is accelerating the development of new capabilities and bridging the so-called “valley of death” for small business innovations through Catapult, an interim technology maturity initiative. Shadi Azoum, program manager for small business innovation research and small business technology transfer programs at the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, or NAVWAR, told the Federal News Network that Catapult has reduced the time spent to transition a vendor solution. 

Fast-Tracking Development to Deployment

According to Azoum, about 60 percent of NAVWAR’s entire portfolio were SBIR and STTR capabilities. 

“I think because NAVWAR is very cyber focused and very fast paced, it makes more sense for us to capitalize on prior investments, than to go through the regular topic process,” he explained. 

He emphasized the importance of public databases such as SBIR.gov, which enables the command to search for relevant technologies among previous contract awardees. 

“We could search by keywords and locate some of the past awardees based on the needs that we’re looking for,” Azoum said. 

Azoum also encouraged small businesses to use SBIR.gov to see the list of capabilities the Navy is looking for. He added that the next Catapult broad agency announcement will be posted on April 23. 

More Small Business Partners

Recent efforts by the Navy to reach out to small businesses have been fruitful. Azoum said about 41 percent of small businesses that responded to Navy solicitations in 2024 are doing business with the service for the first time. Furthermore, 29 percent belong to socioeconomic categories such as woman-owned or service disabled veteran-owned. 

“Of $500 million of SBIR or STTR funded efforts, we have transitioned about more than $1 billion in that and that is more than $1 billion in phase three or non-SBIR/STTR funded efforts,” he revealed. 

NAVWAR plans to reach out to even more small businesses in 2025. 

Azoum advised firms that want to secure SBIR or STTR contracts to pay attention to submission requirements listed in announcements. Although margins and font sizes seem trivial, not following the requirements prevents a proposal from being evaluated. 

He told small businesses to engage with topic authors to ensure that they understand program requirements.

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