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NASA’s Webb Telescope Completes Sunshield Deployment; Thomas Zurbuchen Quoted
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NASA’s Webb Telescope Completes Sunshield Deployment; Thomas Zurbuchen Quoted

NASA has announced the full deployment of the James Webb Space Telescope’s 70-foot sunshield.

The five-layered sunshield, which launched on Dec. 25th aboard an Ariane 5 rocket from the European Space Agency’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, is designed to protect the spacecraft from the heat and light ff the sun, Earth and moon, NASA said Tuesday.

The sunshield’s unfolding started on Dec. 28 and concluded Tuesday, Jan. 4. The development started with the deployment of two pallet structures, followed by the Deployable Tower Assembly, aft momentum flap and membrane covers and mid-booms.

“This is the first time anyone has ever attempted to put a telescope this large into space,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA’s science mssion directorate. 

Zurbuchen added that the deployment of the sunshield seeks to reflect the human ingenuity and engineering skill that will enable the space science observatory to reach its science goals.

In the next five months, Webb has to deploy its primary and secondary mirror wings, calibrate science instruments and align the telescope optics before it can transmit its first images.

The sunshield’s unfurling and tensioning involved 139 of the telescope’s 178 release mechanisms, approximately 400 pulleys, 70 hinge assemblies, 90 individual cables and eight deployment motors.

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Air Force Vet Wade Koch Joins Valiant as VP of Business Development, Training & Readiness; John Hart Quoted
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Air Force Vet Wade Koch Joins Valiant as VP of Business Development, Training & Readiness; John Hart Quoted

Wade Koch, a U.S. Air Force veteran and former Kratos Defense and Security Solutions executive, has been named vice president of business development, training and readiness for Valiant Integrated Services.

In his new role, Koch will leverage his 25 years of defense industry experience to enhance business development strategies, improve engagement across the government contracting sector and foster relationships with federal agencies, clients and partners within Valiant’s training and readiness business unit, the company said Tuesday.

“Wade’s extensive experience in the training arena will empower us to further build on Valiant’s impressive Training and Readiness legacy as we continue to grow the business and deliver high-velocity training solutions for additional customers and partners in the U.S. and around the world,” commented John Hart, chief growth officer for Valiant.

Koch joins Valiant from Kratos, where he most recently served as vice president of business development. Throughout Koch’s more than seven years with Kratos, he also served in positions including vice president of the company’s aircrew training center and vice president of training services.

His previous private sector experience includes six years as president and CEO of Koch Consulting Group Training Systems, as well as nearly three years with Aviation Training Consulting, where he held senior business development roles.

Additionally, Koch served two decades of active duty in the U.S. Air Force, and he currently sits on the board of directors for That Others May Live Foundation, which focuses on providing support to families of wounded or deceased Air Force service members.

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Kristin Robertson, Brad Tousley Join Raytheon Intelligence & Space Leadership Team; President Roy Azevedo Quoted
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Kristin Robertson, Brad Tousley Join Raytheon Intelligence & Space Leadership Team; President Roy Azevedo Quoted

Raytheon Intelligence & Space (RI&S) announced on Tuesday that Kristin Robertson and Brad Tousley have joined the business unit’s leadership team to further position RI&S to deliver excellence to our customers in 2022 and beyond.

Kristin Robertson has assumed the role of president of its Space & C2 strategic business unit, effective immediately Robertson will serve on the RI&S senior team and report directly to Roy Azevedo, president of RI&S and a two-time Wash100 Award winner.

“Kristin brings a wealth of experience to RI&S as well as a proven track record of leading and growing complex product lines,” said Azevedo. “She and the S&C2 team will help us meet growing space market demand and support our customer’s evolving missions.”

Robertson served as vice president and general manager of autonomous systems at Boeing, leading autonomous technologies, intelligence capabilities and networking solutions from seabed to space. During Robertson’s tenure, she led and grew several multi-billion-dollar product lines.

In addition, Brad Tousley will serve as president of Blue Canyon Technologies, reporting to Robertson as part of the Space & C2 strategic business unit.

Tousley previously served as lead for RI&S’ Advanced Concepts & Technology, and as president of Raytheon BBN Technologies. He joined Raytheon Company in 2019 with deep experience spanning government agencies, the private sector and the U.S. military.

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SAIC Books Prime Position in 10 Pools on GSA ASTRO Contract
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SAIC Books Prime Position in 10 Pools on GSA ASTRO Contract

Science Applications International Corporation has been selected for prime positions on the General Services Administration’s potential 10-year, multibillion-dollar ASTRO contract.

The Reston, Virginia-based information technology company is one of only six companies to win positions in all 10 pools of the indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity ASTRO contract, SAIC said Tuesday.

Under the contract, SAIC will leverage its capabilities in engineering, artificial intelligence and digital services to perform work in all ten ASTRO pools including data operations, mission operations, aviation, ground, space, maritime, development/systems integration, research, support and training.

The ASTRO contract vehicle, sponsored by the Department of Defense and managed by GSA’s Federal Systems Integration and Management Center office, covers the development, integration and operation of manned, unmanned and optionally manned systems, robotics and platforms.

SAIC’s ASTRO contract follows the company’s recent win of a $99 million contract to provide weapon system modeling support for the U.S. Air Force.

In a recent Executive Spotlight interview with ExecutiveBiz, Vincent DiFronzo, senior vice president of the Air Force and COCOM Business Unit at SAIC, commented on the Air Force win and explained how the company’s digital engineering capabilities are supporting the service branch’s mission under the contract.

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Former Perspecta VP Sean Mullen Joins ECS; President John Heneghan Quoted
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Former Perspecta VP Sean Mullen Joins ECS; President John Heneghan Quoted

Sean Mullen, formerly of Perspecta, has joined ECS as senior vice president of business development, the company announced Tuesday. 

“Sean is a forward-thinking and results driven executive with a strong customer focus and a proven track record driving year-over-year growth,” said ECS President John Heneghan.

Mullen will leverage his over three decades of work in business development and capture as well as, proposal operations and strategic solution teams. He will be part of a strategy to grow the company via collaboration with new partners.

“ECS routinely tackles the industry’s hardest challenges, and I am excited to join a company committed to growth and delivery excellence,” Mullen explained. 

Previously with Perspecta, he conceived and orchestrated the company’s go-to-market strategy and honed a customer-focused approach.

Prior to Perspecta, Mullen worked for information technology services and consulting company DXC Technology, and spent seven years as Vice President, Public Sector Sales Leader at Hewlett-Packard.

He started his career with the Air Force as a civilian acquisition officer harnessing key engineering and information technology capabilities to enhance mission effectiveness.

“I look forward to working with ECS’ incredibly talented and passionate BD team to drive market-leading growth and customer satisfaction,” Mullen added. 

One of a series of ECS leadership transitions, Heneghan assumed the role of president this week, and was appointed in Nov. 2021, along with a number of new VP appointments.

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WHS, DOD Need Market Info on Greenhouse Gas Accountability Services
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WHS, DOD Need Market Info on Greenhouse Gas Accountability Services

Washington Headquarters Services (WHS) seeks market information on capabilities that can increase the Department of Defense’s accountability in reducing greenhouse gases across its supply chain.

DOD wants to use science-based methods to define, develop and implement disclosure requirements to boost the department’s accountability on GHG emissions, WHS said Thursday in a SAM.gov notice.

The department seeks disclosure requirements that foster GHG reductions and set emission reduction goals to achieve net-zero by 2050. WHS seeks to identify available commercial services that support this mission and answer related questions from the private sector.

Interested parties may submit capability packages and ask questions through Jan. 25th.

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Arnold Engineering Development Complex Uses Funds to Bolster Hypersonic Testing
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Arnold Engineering Development Complex Uses Funds to Bolster Hypersonic Testing

The Test Resource Management Center has provided additional funds for a high-temperature laboratory and a ballistic range used for hypersonic technology testing at the Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC). 

AEDC has received $850,000 since fiscal year 2020 in support of the complex’s high-temperature laboratory, which operates and maintains arc heaters to evaluate high-temperature materials, Air Force Materiel Command said Monday.

The funds allowed AEDC to expand the laboratory’s workforce with the hiring of five engineers and 10 craftsmen.

“With the growth in personnel, test frequency has increased from 77 runs in fiscal year 2020 to a forecasted workload of 116 runs in fiscal year 2022,” said Frank Wonder, arcs section chief for AEDC.

The engineering complex also received $1.5 million in TRMC funds to support Arnold Air Force Base’s Range G, where hypervelocity flyout, impact and lethality ground tests take place.

These funds financed the expansion of Range G’s consumable inventory and the procurement of critical spare equipment.

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Amendment on Senate-Cleared Cloud Bill Would Task GAO to Report on FedRAMP
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Amendment on Senate-Cleared Cloud Bill Would Task GAO to Report on FedRAMP

A bill cleared by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee may require the Government Accountability Office to report on the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, which aims to standardize cloud product security, Nextgov reported Monday.

Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, led an amendment that gives the “Federal Secure Cloud Improvement and Jobs Act of 2021” provisions to prevent foreign entities from influencing FedRAMP through third-party assessors or code in the software supply chain.

These provisions would task GSA’s administrator to decide whether a cloud vendor may undergo third-party assessments for verification. 

The bill also directs GAO to produce a report about FedRAMP 180 days after the bill’s passage.

Sens. Gary Peters, D-Mich., and Josh Hawley, R-Mo., co-authored the bill with support from Sens. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., Steve Daines, R-Mont., and Portman.

The legislation would augment and authorize FedRAMP for five-years to accelerate the program’s authorization process.

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Helmut Reisinger Joins Leadership Team With Palo Alto Networks; CEO Nikesh Arora Quoted
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Helmut Reisinger Joins Leadership Team With Palo Alto Networks; CEO Nikesh Arora Quoted

Palo Alto Networks announced on Tuesday that the global cybersecurity leader has named Helmut Reisinger as the new CEO for the company’s Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Latin America (LATAM) business.

“Helmut is a visionary executive who I’ve known as both a global business leader and close partner to our company,” said CEO and Chairman Nikesh Arora. “Given the recent rapid growth of the worldwide cybersecurity market, we see significant opportunities to accelerate our international business.

Reisinger will work to drive the acceleration of the company’s global growth strategy with president BJ Jenkins, and will join Arora’s management team as well.

“Working together with BJ, Helmut’s relentless focus on the customer and understanding of the international business ecosystem will help us drive our robust EMEA business to future growth, while developing our growing Latin American business,” Arora added.

Reisinger is an internationally recognized business leader. Reisinger led a global organization of 28,000 employees as the CEO of Orange Business Services and supported the digital transformation of enterprise customers around the world. Reisinger has also held leadership positions across Europe at Avaya Inc, NextiraOne Germany and Alcatel Austria.

“I am excited to join Palo Alto Networks’ extraordinary leadership team at what is a critical time for the cybersecurity industry,” said Reisinger. “As a longtime partner, I’ve had the privilege of seeing firsthand how Palo Alto Networks’ continuous innovation is answering organizations’ cybersecurity needs with its unique end-to-end, cloud- and platform-based approach.

About Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks, the global cybersecurity leader, is shaping the cloud-centric future with technology that is transforming the way people and organizations operate. Our mission is to be the cybersecurity partner of choice, protecting our digital way of life. We help address the world’s greatest security challenges with continuous innovation that seizes the latest breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, analytics, automation, and orchestration.

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Army Seeks Info on Engineering Services for Stinger Missile
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Army Seeks Info on Engineering Services for Stinger Missile

The U.S. Army has posted a request for information on potential sources of engineering services for Stinger missiles as part of its planning and market research initiatives.

According to the SAM.gov notice, services are meant for the weapon system used by the military and foreign allies as low-altitude air defense against attack or aerial observation by drones, rotary or fixed-wing aircraft.

The RFI details military needs for system engineering, manufacturing, logistical, test equipment and other support services for the missiles and associated launchers of the U.S. and its Foreign Military Sales customers.

Stinger is a short-range guided missile system that is man-portable and can be shoulder-fired or platform launched to provide ground forces with protection against aerial threats. It features a high-explosive, hit-to-kill warhead and infrared counter-countermeasure capabilities to engage targets.

Responses to the RFI are due Jan. 7.

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