Jim Free, associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, has been promoted to associate administrator of the agency, succeeding Robert Cabana, who is retiring at the end of 2023 after serving two years at the post. Catherine Koerner, deputy associate administrator for exploration systems development, will succeed Free and assume responsibility for developing the Moon to […]
Rep. Frank Lucas, chairman of the House Science Committee, has put off a vote on a commercial space bill until after Thanksgiving due to the White House’s release of a related legislative proposal. Co-introduced by Lucas earlier in November, the Commercial Space Act of 2023 would establish a mission authorization system at the Department of […]
Denton Gibson has taken on the position of launch director for the Launch Services Program at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Alongside senior Launch Director Tim Dunn, Gibson will oversee the execution of science and robotic missions and lead a team that handles NASA-managed launch vehicle services, NASA said Monday. Dunn and Gibson are expected to […]
Budget uncertainties for 2024 have prompted NASA to slow down its Mars Sample Return work, an official said Monday. Speaking at a Planetary Science Advisory Committee meeting, Sandra Connelly, deputy associate administrator for science at NASA, said the agency ordered three MSR field centers to reduce their activities. MSR currently operates on an $822.3 million […]
Karl Mathias, the Department of Health and Human Services’ chief information officer, has announced that he will step down on Dec. 1 to assume an undisclosed role at NASA. HHS Deputy CIO Jennifer Wendel will serve as acting CIO when Mathias exits, Federal News Network reported. Meanwhile, La Monte Yarborough, the department’s chief information security […]
Bulgaria has become the 32nd country to sign a set of principles to guide international cooperation on space exploration. Established in 2020, the Artemis Accords advance obligations in the 1967 Outer Space Treaty and strengthen the commitments of participating nations to various agreements and best practices, NASA said Thursday. In a recent signing ceremony, officials […]
Australia-based space flight technology provider Saber Astronautics has secured a 15-month, $1.2 million Small Business Technology Transfer Phase 2 contract from the U.S. Space Force for data visualization software development. The contractor will work with Purdue University to develop Space Cockpit, a visualization platform the company started working on in 2019. Under the contract, Saber […]
The U.S. Space Command is seeking to improve its relationship with the academic community to address problems plaguing the country’s space community. Gen. James Dickinson, commander of the Space Command, said the academia is composed of the most brilliant minds that could help USSPACECOM address its challenges. To foster collaboration with leading researchers and educational […]
The U.S. Army has awarded Intelsat a satellite communications-as-a-managed service contract requiring the company to deliver multi-orbit communications capabilities. Under the satcom-as-a-service contract, Intelsat will provide end-to-end managed connectivity subscription services, allowing the Army to link with commercial teleports and internet services. The company will also provide its Intelsat Flex services, enabling geostationary-orbit and low-Earth […]
Ball Aerospace, Parsons, General Dynamics and Omni Federal have been awarded contracts for Phase 1 of the Space Systems Command’s Future Operationally Resilient Ground Evolution Command and Control project. The contracts, valued at $9.75 million per company, were awarded via the SSC’s Space Enterprise Consortium, according to consortium manager NSTXL. The Phase 1 awards are […]
