Capitol Hill. The Senate adjourns for August recess, shelving cyber legislation planned for debate until it returns in September. Republican leaders wanted to push through Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 before break, but a procedural vote to start debating the bill stalls as Democrat and GOP senators battle over amendments.
…New Chiefs Confirmed. Before leaving for recess last Wednesday, the Senate unanimously confirms three military nominees tapped to become the Army, Navy and Marine Corps’ top generals: Gen. Mark Milley for the Army’s chief of staff, Adm. John Richardson as the chief of naval operations and Lt. Gen. Robert Neller, who will promote to general and take up the post of Marine Corps commandant.
Wallops MARS Deal… The commonwealth of Virginia and Orbital ATK reach an agreement regarding repair costs and insurance coverage following the October Antares launch failure that damaged portions of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at Wallops Island, Va., according to a commonwealth statement. The anticipated $15 million repair cost to Pad 0A will be divided equally between Virginia, Orbital ATK and NASA. MARS continues to make progress on pad reconstruction and repair efforts, targeting a fall completion date. Orbital ATK plans to return Antares to flight at MARS with a “hot fire” test anticipated for late this year and the maiden voyage of the upgraded Antares in 2016.
…Wallops UAS Runway. Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) announces an agreement between NASA and the Virginia Commercial Spaceflight Authority (VCSA) to build a 3,000-foot unmanned aerial system (UAS) runway at Wallops Island, on the eastern shore of Virginia. Construction begins in the fall with the first flight operations in 2016. McAuliffe spokeswoman Christina Nuckols said $4.5 million of state transportation money will be used to fund construction of the runway and that the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will manage construction. She declined to answer additional questions.
New ISS Manager. NASA names Kirk Shireman as the new International Space Station (ISS) program manager, according to an agency statement. Shireman previously served as NASA Johnson Space Center, Texas, deputy director since 2013. He previously served as deputy ISS program manager from 2006 to 2013.
Ball TEMPO CDR. Ball Aerospace’s Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) instrument completes its critical design review (CDR) on June 25, according to a company statement. The instrument begins fabrication in June after an earlier set of reviews. TEMPO is the first NASA Earth Venture Instrument mission with a UV-visible air quality spectrometer that will fly in geostationary earth orbit (GEO). TEMPO is designed to make accurate observations of atmospheric pollution with high spatial and temporal resolution over North America, from Mexico City to the Canadian oil sands, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
Atlas V Commercial Launch. The Atlas V launch vehicle secures a commercial launch when EchoStar selects Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services (LMCLS) and the Atlas to provide commercial launch services for the EchoStar XIX communications satellite, according to a LMCLS statement. The satellite is set for launch in late 2016 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. EchoStar XIX, also known as Jupiter 2, is a large, multi-spot beam Ka-band satellite that will help meet the growing demand for HughesNet high-speed satellite internet service in North America. SSL is building the satellite to provide service for 15 years or longer.
NASA Glenn Contracts…NASA awards contracts to 13 companies to provide advanced propulsion and communications system technologies as part of ongoing long-term aerospace research activities at NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, according to an agency statement. Each of the 13 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (ID/IQ) contracts provides for fixed price, cost share and cost reimbursement competitive tasks with a cumulative maximum value of $190 million over the next five years. Each contract has a minimum value of $30,000.
…More Glenn. The contractors will develop, demonstrate and verify advanced technologies that support key challenges in areas including communications, structures and materials, power, propulsion systems for aeronautics vehicles, and propulsion and communications systems for space missions and vehicles. The following companies win contracts: GE Aviation, United Technologies, Rolls-Royce North American Technologies, Williams International, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Orbital Technologies Corp., Boeing, Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Alliant Techsystems Operations LLC, Sierra Lobo, General Dynamics C4 Systems, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab and MTI Systems.
Typhoon Recovery. The amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD-48) heads to Saipan to provide relief after Typhoon Soudelor decimated the island earlier this month. The ship, originally located in Guam, was slated to arrive in Saipan on Aug. 8. The government of Guam, American Red Cross and other organizations provided water, bedsheets, food, generators and various supplies, which will be loaded into the ship and then distributed to shelters, schools and government agencies.
Ford-class Carrier. The 1,600-person crew of the Navy’s newest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), moves aboard the ship on Aug. 3, according to a Huntington Ingalls Industries news release. HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding constructs the Ford class, which can house up to 4,660 sailors. Once aboard, the crew eats the first meal prepared in the galley: prime rib, crab legs, shrimp, salmon and a 7-foot-long cake made to look like an aircraft carrier, says the HII release.
Ship Maintenance. BAE Systems will conduct an overhaul of the USNS Cesar Chavez (T-AKE 14), a dry cargo ship originally constructed by NASSCO. The Navy awarded BAE an $11.2 million firm fixed-price contract for work including renewing non-skid coatings on the deck, cleaning and repairing various systems, overhauling the engine and painting the underhull. The work, which will be executed in San Francisco, is expected to be completed this October.
Big Sale. Lockheed Martin receives a $431 million contract for the ninth lot of F-35s. The work done on that contract will be done in a number of states, the full list of which is Texas, California, New Hampshire, Florida, Georgia, Minnesota, New York, Maryland, Illinois and Utah. Work also will be doled out in percentages to the U.K., Italy, Denmark and the Netherlands, all of which are partner countries in the F-35 program. Work on those jets is slated to be finished in 2018.
Regional Cyber Challenge Winners. U.S. Cyber Challenge announces the winners of the 2015 Western Regional Cyber Camp competition, hosted at Southern Utah University. After a week of classroom instruction, over 40 participants compete in a “capture the flag” competition, testing skills an information security professional should thoroughly know. The winners are Norman Lundt, Eric Harashevsky, and Nick Landers. Camp participants are chosen from almost 2,000 people who compete in an online qualifying competition. The camp mission is to increase the quantity and quality of the U.S. cyber workforce. Camp classes teach how to identify malware on a computer through memory forensics, reverse engineer malware to identify characteristic and impact, understand how to test web applications for vulnerabilities, and learn about critical infrastructure and how to protect the energy, oil, and gas sectors through securing radio frequencies.
NATO Defense Capacity Building For Iraq. NATO states agree on a defense capacity building package for Iraq to help strengthen the country’s security and defense sector by providing support where NATO can best add value, the alliance Secretary General says. The program is developed by Iraq’s request and in close consultation with Iraqi authorities as part of NATO’s Defence Capacity Building Initiative. The package includes support in areas including advice on security sector reform, countering improvised explosive devices, explosive ordnance disposal and de-mining, civil military planning, cyber defense, military medicine and medical assistance, military training, and civil emergency planning. NATO and Iraqi experts next begin work on the details of training programs to be held in Turkey and Jordan.