The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has selected Northrop Grumman to research the feasibility of a lunar railroad network. Northrop will identify the necessary groundwork for such a network, establish a list of potential costs and logistical and technological risks, work on prototypes and demonstration models and explore robotics-enabled construction and operation concepts. Chris Adams, […]
William LaPlante, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, has approved the Milestone C/Full Rate Production for the F-35 Lightning II following a series of tests. LaPlante, a 2024 Wash100 awardee and a past Potomac Officers Club speaker, issued the approval after the F-35 completed its combined initial operational test and evaluation, live fire test […]
The U.S. Army has requested $120.6 million in fiscal year 2025 funding for the Low Altitude Stalking and Strike Ordnance program. The LASSO program is a new initiative slated for FY 2025 that can provide surveillance and lethal strike capabilities for the Army’s Infantry Brigade Combat Team. According to the Army, the LASSO loitering munition, […]
A more powerful version of the Space Launch System rocket for future Artemis missions is in store for NASA. The SLS Block 1B uses the same core stage and solid rocket as the original SLS but features a more powerful second stage called the exploration upper stage. The EUS, which replaces the interim cryogenic propulsion […]
The Biden administration is seeking $13 billion in cybersecurity funding in the fiscal year 2025 budget request. According to President Joe Biden’s request, the funding will include $3 billion for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. The funding will enhance federal civilian network security, critical infrastructure security coordination, Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act […]
The Biden administration has sought $75 million for the Technology Modernization Fund for the fiscal year 2025, less than half of what lawmakers asked for in fiscal 2024. According to the White House’s budget request, the $75 million will support IT modernization efforts and build on over $750 million that the TMF invested in federal […]
The Department of Defense’s deputy secretary said the DOD plans to spend around $1 billion on its Replicator program for the fiscal years 2024 and 2025. Kathleen Hicks, a 2024 Wash100 awardee and a past Potomac Officers Club speaker, said the DOD wants to spend around $500 million each fiscal year to reduce technological barriers […]
Velo3D, a California-based additive manufacturing company, has secured a contract from Bechtel Plant Machinery Inc. to support the U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. ATI, another BPMI subcontractor for the Navy program, will operate Velo3D’s Sapphire XC large format printer to speed up parts production for the program. Sapphire XC features an integrated hardware and software […]
Eileen Vidrine, the Department of the Air Force’s chief data and artificial intelligence officer, is set to retire by the end of March. Vidrine, a past Potomac Officers Club speaker, was appointed as the department’s CDAO in January 2023 and was tasked with developing and implementing enterprise data management, analytics and digital transformation strategies. She […]
L3Harris Technologies has selected Maxar Space Systems to design and produce Maxar 300 spacecraft platforms for the Space Development Agency’s Tranche 2 Tracking Layer program. The Maxar 300 spacecraft features flexible and scalable electrical and data interfaces for various payloads; configurable telemetry, tracking and command; inter-satellite link support; solar arrays and batteries; and chemical or […]
