Empower AI and Lentech have established a joint venture, called Astralis Innovations, to develop and bring artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and other information technology platforms to federal agency customers. Empower AI said Thursday it also signed a six-year mentor-protege agreement with Lentech under the Small Business Administration to share best practices and offer assistance in the […] More

Natilus has secured $6 billion in advance commitments to deliver over 440 autonomous cargo aircraft to major airlines and integrators. The purchase commitments for Natilus’ unmanned aerial vehicles were from Volatus Aerospace, Flexport, Dymond, Astral Aviation and Aurora International, Natilus said Wednesday. “In parallel with the development of our family of autonomous aircraft, we are […] More

Woolpert will perform a wide range of geospatial services in support of a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration office under a new award from the agency. The company said Wednesday the Coastal Geospatial Services Contract provides for data acquisition, photogrammetric and cadastral mapping, topographic and bathymetric products, survey and control services, geospatial training and geographic […] More

Chris Thompson, former chief engineer of advanced projects at Astra, was named chief technology officer of Phantom Space, where he will lead the development of launch vehicles and satellites and oversee related efforts. The Tucson, Arizona-based space transportation technology development and manufacturing company said Thursday Thompson brings to his new role decades-long experience in the […] More

The U.S. Geological Survey has awarded Dewberry a potential five-year, $850 million indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to procure a wide range of products and services in support of the agency’s geospatial activities. The company said Friday it will perform airborne lidar, interferometric synthetic aperture radar, geophysical surveys, elevation-derived hydrography and other support services required by USGS’ National […] More

NASA has selected Astra Space, Relativity Space and Firefly Black to launch different types of small satellites under contracts with a combined value of $16.7M. The companies will send to space nanosatellites, CubeSats and other types of small satellites under the Venture Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 effort, the space agency said Saturday.

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Fred Kennedy, former director of the Space Development Agency and a more than 25-year defense and industry veteran, has been appointed president of Santa Clara, California-based space technology company Momentus.

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The Catalyst Space Accelerator has chosen eight small businesses to take part in its sixth accelerator program.

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Peter Beck, founder and CEO of small satellite launch firm Rocket Lab, said the Department of Defense and other agencies could help the small launch sector by funding space programs that will drive demand for launch services, SpaceNews reported Monday.

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George Mason University’s School of Business has announced the addition of 10 new members to the advisory board of its Center for Government Contracting. “These additional appointments continue our efforts to diversify the composition of the center’s board, from small to large firms, whether products or services, and with business and government representation,” Jerry McGinn, executive director of the Center for Government Contracting, said in a statement released Tuesday.

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NASA has awarded a worldwide commercial license and contract to Apollo Fusion for Jet Propulsion Laboratory's magnetically shielded miniature hall thruster. The award allows Apollo Fusion to produce three engineering models of the MaSMi thruster in support of JPL's Ascendant Sub-kW Transcelestial Electric Propulsion System or ASTRAEUS, the company said Tuesday.

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Northrop Grumman has announced that its automated cargo spacecraft slated to be deployed to the International Space Station will be named after former U.S. Navy officer and NASA astronaut John Young. The Cygnus spacecraft will be launched aboard Northrop’s Antares rocket on Nov. 15 from Pad-0A of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport located at NASA’s Wallops Flight […] More