The Small Business Administration has awarded $325,000 in grant funds to 21 organizations to assist the agency in efforts to help entrepreneurs get more involved in the government’s Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs. SBA said Thursday it chose 16 state and local economic development agencies, business development centers, colleges and universities to receive a combined $125,000 under the […] More

Orbital ATK‘s Cygnus spacecraft re-entered Earth’s atmosphere Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time after it performed three in-orbit scientific missions and delivered approximately 7,900 pounds of scientific experiments and crew supplies to the International Space Station. The atmospheric re-entry of the space vehicle, also known as S.S. Rick Husband, loaded with 4,087 pounds of items for disposal marks the company’s […] More

Orbital ATK‘s cargo ship Cygnus is set to proceed with three in-orbit scientific missions after the spacecraft completed its mission to deliver around 7,900 pounds of supplies and experiments to the International Space Station. Cygnus, nicknamed S.S. Rick Husband, departed from the orbiting laboratory Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time after an 81-day stay there, Orbital ATK said Tuesday. The OA-6 mission represents the company’s fifth mission under […] More

  The government contracting industry experienced a robust period of mergers and acquisitions that reshaped its composition in 2015 and continued executive transitions between companies. As companies merge and new identities enter the market, some businesses face a challenge to fill vacant leadership positions. From time to time, GovCon firms of all shape and sizes […] More

An Orbital ATK-built spacecraft lifted off Sunday onboard a United Launch Alliance-made Atlas V rocket to deliver over 7,000 pounds of crew supplies and scientific instruments to the International Space Station. NASA said Sunday the Cygnus OA-4 space vehicle’s launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station marks Orbital ATK’s fourth cargo delivery mission to the […] More

Jim Lawler started the latest chapter of his three-decade human resources career in late 2014 when he joined Fairfax, Va.-based ICF International as senior vice president of HR. Lawler previously served as chief HR officer at TASC for four years and designed that company’s HR organization, compensation and benefits programs and HR leadership team. ExecutiveBiz recently […] More

The April release of documents for a draft request for proposals on a future nationwide public safety communications network marked another step in the government’s push to further examine how it can make greater use of commercial technologies. Also in April, Defense Department announced its own move to explore the commercial sector’s offerings in April with the release of Better Buying Power […] More

NASA and Orbital ATK confirmed that the Dawn probe has made it into orbit around the Ceres dwarf planet after a 7.5-year journey. Ceres’ gravity captured the Orbital ATK-built spacecraft Friday at 4:39 a.m. Pacific time, NASA said Friday. Dawn took off in September 2007 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and initially encountered Vesta, orbiting the […] More

Exelis is set to launch the company’s new global aviation services business and exhibit a suite of integrated services at the 2015 World ATM Congress from March 10 to 12 in Madrid, Spain. The new aviation business spans voice-over-Internet-protocol communication products, air traffic queue optimization service, airport and airlines operations management tools, terrestrial aircraft surveillance […] More

L-3 Communications CEO Michael Strianese has said his work as chairman of the Aerospace Industries Association involves continued efforts to work with Congress and the Defense Department in areas such as budget cuts and innovation. Strianese told Defense News in an interview posted Saturday that AIA seeks to stop sequestration and its impact on U.S. technological advantage due to a lack of investments in research and […] More

United Launch Alliance will announce on Wednesday a collaboration with Blue Origin to develop and offer a rocket engine for U.S. space programs, Reuters reported Monday. Andrea Shalal writes the partnership seeks to replace Russian-made RD-180 engines that are used on ULA’s Atlas V rockets to lift off U.S. military satellites. Frank Kendall, the Defense […] More

Commercial and government efforts are underway to build unmanned and autonomous underwater vehicles that can be used for naval warfare, environmental research and recovery mission, National Defense Magazine reports. Yasmin Tadjdeh writes that Michael Toscano, president and CEO of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, believes that UUV technology has limitless applications and will […] More