Maxar Intelligence CEO Dan Smoot recently said that he is prioritizing the rollout of the WorldView Legion satellite constellation, which was supposed to begin launching in 2021. Legion is the next-generation imaging platform of Maxar Technologies, the parent organization of Maxar Intelligence, a division that specializes in satellite imagery. The constellation will comprise six satellites in all, with the first two set for launch in the next few weeks.

More

Parry Labs will work to deliver software and mission system hardware for the P550 uncrewed aircraft system under a teaming agreement with AeroVironment. AV said Monday that the P550, which is being developed for the U.S. Army Long Range Reconnaissance program, was designed with a Modular Open Systems Approach, in which Parry Labs is a leader.

More

Rebecca Cowen-Hirsch, senior vice president of government strategy and policy at Viasat, said the satellite communications industry is seeing an increased variety of tactics, techniques and procedures for deploying electronic warfare and electromagnetic interference. Speaking at the Space Symposium, Cowen-Hirsch said there is an increasing amount of targeted and intentional electromagnetic interference, signaling a need for intervention and information exchange to come up with a different approach to countering threats.

More

Michael House, vice present of infrastructure and energy solutions at Siemens Government Technologies, believes advanced digital services can be a game changer for how federal agencies improve energy resilience and sustainability at their facilities and installations.

In this Executive Spotlight interview, House mulled over various renewable energy sources and solutions in development, such as microgrids, and the necessity of partnership with private industry on the government’s part to ensure their swift and effective implementation.

More

RTX business Pratt & Whitney has announced a $20 million investment to increase by 40 percent the capacity of its West Palm Beach Engine Center to maintain, repair and overhaul GTF engines. The facility expansion, will result in a 25 percent workforce increase and the addition of new equipment as well as technologies developed at the North American Technology Accelerator, is expected to be completed by the second half of 2025, RTX said Wednesday.

More

Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense will work to increase its capacity to produce printed circuit board assemblies for use in hypersonic weapons after being awarded $11.7 million by the Department of Defense. The award is the latest issued within fiscal year 2024 by the Defense Production Act Investment Program, the Department of Defense said Friday.

More

Amazon Web Services has secured High authorization under the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program for its end-to-end encrypted service available for AWS GovCloud customers in the U.S. West region. AWS Wickr is an encrypted communications service that uses a 256-bit encryption technique to enable government and commercial customers to secure group messaging, voice and video calling, screen sharing and file sharing, AWS said Thursday.

More

BlueHalo has expanded its national security offerings with the launch and demonstration of an integrated command and control system designed to support uncrewed airspace operations. The company said Thursday VigilantHalo is a software-driven tool that features integrated data processing, fusion tracker and communications system for air traffic control, BVLOS and counter-UAS activities as well as air and missile defense.

More

Zero trust is increasingly becoming a critical component of cybersecurity as threats resort more to data-centric attacks, said Garrett Yee, General Dynamics Information Technology's vice president and general manager for the U.S. Army and defense agencies sector. In an interview with Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Association International, Yee shared his short- and long-term outlook for zero trust and how artificial intelligence is impacting tactical decision-making.

More

The decrease in military retention rates is a major issue for national defense. The scarcity of seasoned leaders impacts military effectiveness and raises questions about lower job satisfaction in the defense forces.    The U.S.’s overall military retention rate was 55% in 2021, highlighting the need for improvement. Inadequate compensation, toxic leadership, and limited freedom […] More

L3Harris Technologies company Aerojet Rocketdyne has signed a 10-year public-private partnership agreement with the Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division to increase solid rocket motor production for national defense applications. "Working in coordination with our government partners, we’re increasing our production capability to meet today’s growing demand and to prepare for any surge in support of near peer conflicts," Ross Niebergall, president of Aerojet Rocketdyne, said in a statement published Monday.

More

NASA has increased funding for two commercial space stations meant to succeed the International Space Station, which is scheduled to retire in 2030. The agency announced Friday that it added $57.5 million for the Starlab station of Voyager Space’s exploration segment, as well as $42 million to the Orbital Reef station conceptualized by Blue Origin.

More