Jane Edwards

SpaceX and SEOPS will launch small satellite missions under four task orders awarded by NASA under the Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare launch services contract. SpaceX received three of the four task orders and will provide launch services for the Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor-2 satellite as well as the Dione and ARCSTONE satellites under the CubeSat Launch Initiative, the space agency said Wednesday.

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Don Parente, vice president of public sector sales and solution architecture at MetTel, said the U.S. Mint and other federal agencies should begin planning amid the looming retirement of plain old telephone services and other copper telephone lines. According to Parente, the Federal Communication Commission recently permitted local exchange carriers to shut down copper wires, a move that is accelerating the issuance of disconnect notices to agencies.

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The Department of Defense's innovation arm has selected five companies to build prototypes of commercial lithium batteries to address power requirements in fighter jets and helicopters. NanoGraf, Bren-Tronics, Xentris Wireless division EXO Charge, Enersys and Teledyne Technologies will develop prototypes under the Defense Innovation Unit's Family of Advanced Standard Batteries project, DIU said Thursday.

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The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has selected 14 companies for a seven-month capability study that seeks to develop technology concepts to advance an integrated, multiservice commercial lunar infrastructure. Under the 10-Year Lunar Architecture Capability Study, the companies will collaborate to design systems-level platforms spanning multiple lunar services, including lunar power; communications, navigation and timing; mining and commercial in-situ resource utilization; construction and robotics; and transit, mobility and logistics, DARPA said Tuesday.

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LeoLabs and Aalyria will combine their technology platforms to address space awareness challenges facing government and commercial communications networks across ground, air, sea and space under a partnership agreement. Through the partnership, the two companies will collaborate on contract opportunities, including those with the Department of Defense, according to a joint release published Monday.

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