Intelsat CEO and Wash100 awardee David Wajsgras said in an interview that customers are already interested in buying capacity from the medium Earth orbit constellation that the satellite services provider intends to build. One of those potential customers is the U.S. government, which seeks to ensure global communications redundancy for civilian as well as military users via an additional network.

Executive Mosaic’s GovCon Index fell by over 2% last week, bringing its number to $4,780.55. GovCon Index is an aggregate index that compiles and presents real-time data from 30 staple government contracting enterprises. With this information, users are able to evaluate not only the individual performance of these companies but also the overarching trends that characterize the GovCon marketplace today.

Varda Space Industries has raised $90 million in a series B funding led by Caffeinated Capital and will use the capital to build its infrastructure that supports pharmaceutical manufacturing in space. The company said Friday the investment follows the launch and reentry of its W-1 hypersonic reentry capsule to demonstrate the production of pharmaceuticals and other materials in microgravity.

OROS Labs, the creator of Solarcore insulation, has announced raising $22 million at the close of its Series B funding round, which was led by Airbus Ventures. The thermal product developer said Wednesday that the fresh funds will support its expansion in consumer, commercial and government industries.

Garland Garris, the quantum lead and associate director for security and science at Accenture Federal Services, discussed in a recent interview his company's participation in a Department of Energy project focused on achieving advancements with the help of quantum technologies. Garris told Federal News Network that his company is working with various agencies to comply with the provisions Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act.

Intelsat CEO David Wajsgras recently said that his company is considering an investment in a medium-Earth orbit constellation and intends to make a decision regarding the effort before the end of the second quarter. Wajsgras, a former Wash100 awardee, made the remarks at the SATELLITE 2024 conference, where he noted that, if Intelsat proceeds with the MEO investment, other parties may provide outside financial support.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has chosen seven companies for the small business track of the Artificial Intelligence Cyber Challenge. The competing small businesses were evaluated by the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, DARPA said Monday.

DARPA will be represented by Kathleen Fisher, director of the Information Innovation Office, at the Potomac Officers Club's 5th Annual Artificial Intelligence Summit on March 21. Register now!

Axonius, a cybersecurity asset management platforms provider, has raised $200 million in a Series E extension financing round and will use the capital to accelerate product innovation and expand its reach worldwide. Existing investor Stripes took part in the latest funding round led by venture capital firms Accel and Lightspeed Venture Partners, Axonius said Tuesday.

Join the Potomac Officers Club's 2024 Cyber Summit to hear experts and government and industry leaders discuss the trends and the dynamic role of cyber in the public sector. Register here.

Atlanta-based global conglomerate Cox Enterprises has made a majority investment in OpenGov to help the latter advance research and development work on technological capabilities for government customers. The latest investment brings OpenGov’s valuation to approximately $1.8 billion.

Combining data lakes and meshes will enable government agencies to align their data assets more efficiently in compliance with the executive order on artificial intelligence, said Dave Vennergrund, vice president of AI and data insights at General Dynamics Information Technology. He discussed the significance of information lakehouses to government initiatives enabled by AI and machine learning, and how they can help the development of trustworthy and secure AI.

AI will be the central topic at the Potomac Officers Club's 5th Annual Artificial Intelligence Summit. Register now!

Millimeter wave power amplifier maker Elve has announced the completion of its Series A funding round and raising $15 million from an investor group led by TomEnterprise Private AB and joined by Lockheed Martin Ventures. The Davis, California-based firm company said Thursday it will use the fresh funds to grow its customer base in the space connectivity market and increase manufacturing capabilities.

Government agencies have to measure up to commercial websites when it comes to the quality of citizen self-service portals as user experiences are set by platforms such as Google and Microsoft, said Ted Cotterill, chief privacy officer of the state of Indiana. In an interview with Bill Sullivan, vice president and general manager of U.S. federal business at Denodo, Cotterill discussed the “moving target” that is online government services and how agencies can refine such portals.