Signals & Space Monthly Briefing

February 2020

Prepared by the CyberWire (Monday, February 3, 2020) US-Iranian tensions rise, then subside. The US retaliated for Iranian rocket attacks and Kata’ib Hizbollah's January 2nd attempt to storm the US embassy in Baghdad with a Reaper drone strike that targeted and killed the commander of Iran's Quds Force, Major General Soleimani, as he was in a car near Baghdad's airport. Kata’ib Hizbollah is an Iraqi Shi'ite militia aligned with Iran and effectively operating under the direction of the Quds Force. Soleimani is thought difficult to replace; the Atlantic called him "Iran's indispensable man." Iran responded to the drone strike in two ways: a missile attack against a US installation that wounded some, but killed no, US personnel (see the Military Times for a quick report). US Space Command (the newest combatant command, and not to be confused with Space Force, discussed below) is said to have successfully met its first combat test in that engagement, providing early warning of the missile strike. Military.com quotes official sources on background to the effect that the alert was "probably" provided by the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) operated by the 460th Space Wing, Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado. CBS Baltimore credits the Defense Special Missile and Aerospace Center (DEFSMAC) at Fort Meade with providing the warning. Iran's second response was apparently a heightened air defense alert posture. This had tragic consequences: an air defense battery near Tehran shot down Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752, a Boeing 737-800 with 176 souls on board, shortly after it took off from Imam Khomeini International Airport en route to Kiev. All were killed. The BBC reports that the victims included 82 Iranians and 63 Canadians, as well as eleven crew and passengers from Ukraine, four each from Afghanistan and the United Kingdom, and three from Germany. The New York Times obtained video showing two missile shots, the second fired as the damaged 737 was turning to make an emergency landing in Tehran. After some initial confusion and denial, Iran acknowledged responsibility for the shoot-down, explained it as an accident, and invited international participation in the investigation. The shootdown prompted anti-government protests in Iran. Tehran's acknowledgement of the error, "tragic and unforgivable," as the AP quotes official sources as describing it, is generally being regarded by observers as a gesture toward deescalation of tensions with the US. Increased Iranian cyberattacks against US interests were widely expected, but these have so far failed to materialize, and an essay in Fifth Domain suggests that Iran on reflection would have reason to avoid an escalated conflict in cyberspace. Iran does appear to be preparing an attempt to launch a satellite, as Planet Labs imagery analyzed by the Middlebury Institute of International Studies suggests. The Military Times describes US objections to any such launch: it would, says the US, amount to a test of a long-range ballistic missile. Pyongyang's dog failed to bark. Pyongyang's promised "Christmas gift" to the US, widely expected to be a long-range missile test, failed to materialize at the end of December. The US Department of Defense is unsure what made North Korea change its mind. The Hill quotes Undersecretary for Policy John Rood's testimony before the House Armed Services Committee on January 28th: “Predicting North Korea’s future behavior is always hazardous. We don’t know fully the reasons why the North Koreans did not engage in more provocative behavior, which they seemed to be hinting they were planning to do in December.” Space Force update. US Space Force is now a reality, with its first commander, Air Force General Jay Raymond, sworn in as Chief of Space Operations on January 14th. General Raymond will also have a seat among the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Stars and Stripes reports. The new Service is expected to present Congress with its first organizational plan in early February, according to Air Force Magazine, an important first step on the way to achieving full capability by 2024. Space Force will have to evolve operational doctrine. Much of that doctrine will necessarily be concerned with protecting friendly satellites and disabling hostile satellites in ways that don't create, as a Hill op-ed suggests, a debris field that would render near-earth space impassible. The Service might also need to concern itself with developing technologies capable of clearing orbital debris. One major milestone on the path to maturity by 2024 is development of an acquisition capability. The Space Development Agency is preparing to become part of Space Force by October 2022, Defense News reports. In the meantime the new Service will hold its own pitch day on March 4th. Modeled on the popular show Shark Tank, if Space Force follows the precedent set by its Department of the Air Force parent, the Service sharks will be able to award SBIR contracts on the spot. Proposals are due, C4ISRNet says, by February 5th. Details of topics may be found here. And Space Force is also hiring. Federal Times notes that Space Force headquarters has advertised a number of open civilian positions, all of them rated at GS-12 or above. There are of course other matters to be addressed. The US hasn't created a new Service culture since the Air Force was spun out of the Army in 1947, and culture is more important to a military Service than it is to most other organizations. What sorts of uniforms will Space Force wear, for example? They've already adopted a version of Army and Air Force operational camouflage (with dark blue name tapes), a sensible choice for reasons of economy and practicality. What will its Class A or dress uniforms look like? And what will members of Space Force be called? The Air Force jettisoned "Private" and "Soldier" for "Airman" when it left the Army; what will Space Force's equivalent be? "Spaceman," "Spacewoman," or "Spaceperson" all seem wayward. Military Times is running a poll on what the term should be; the only entrant with any plausibility strikes us as "Trooper." Most of the other suggestions are whimsical non-starters. And what, in general, should the rank structure be? Should it resemble a variation of the similar Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force systems, or should it take its inspiration from the Navy and Coast Guard, or from something else altogether? Finally, some Air Force Bases will become Space Bases, and General Raymond is working on a list of those destined to be so renamed. Business Insider speculates that the Space Bases will include Peterson, Buckley, Cheyenne Mountain, Schriever, Patrick, and Vandenberg. Allied military space organizations develop. Both the UK and Japan have made strides toward putting military space organizations in place. Neither is as extensive or ambitious as US Space Force (they are closer in conception to US Space Command), but both represent significant organizational steps. Air Vice Marshal Harvey Smyth has been appointed to lead Space Command, which will remain part of the Royal Air Force, Defense News reports. The UK will also create a Cabinet-level National Space Council. Defense News also reports that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on January 21st that Japan will stand up the Space Domain Mission Unit in April. Among the Mission Unit's principal concerns will be missile defense. The Space Domain Mission Unit will form part of the Air Self-Defense Force and expects to work particularly closely with its American counterparts. Sponsored by Cosmic AES Do you have what it takes to work for a Best Workplace? Cosmic AES was recognized by the Colorado Springs Gazette as a 2019 Best Workplace, and we’re hiring! See what Cosmic AES has to offer. Boeing's difficulties. Boeing, long one of the world's largest defense and aerospace integrators, suffered a damaging series of surprisingly bad news through 2019, and that news has continued to snowball into 2020. 737 MAX software issues, responsible for two lethal crashes, have taken a major toll on the company's commercial aviation business, and the company booked its first losing year in decades. While its defense and space units have done notably better than its airliner production group, even those suffered an unaccustomed run of stumbles, as WIRED points out. Aerotime Hub goes so far as to speculate that the firm may have to break itself up into viable components. New CEO David Calhoun, regarded as a turnaround specialist, has a great deal to do as he seeks to make things right at Boeing, as the Washington Post reports. These include not only resuming 737 MAX production and restoring the company's place in commercial aviation (according to the UPI, in 2019 cancellations exceeded new orders), but also, in a long-running episode described by Bloomberg, mollifying the US Air Force over the poor performance of the company's KC-46 tanker. NASA may, CNBC reports, ask the company to attempt another uncrewed test of its Starliner spacecraft after the failure of December's flight. The biggest challenge may be addressing a declining corporate culture on display in internal company documents that have attracted the attention of Congress, the media, and investors. Fostering innovation. The US Defense Department continues to work to foster innovation, but also continues its long-running struggle to close the proverbial "valley of death" between research and development on the one hand and engineering development, production and fielding on the other. In a January 24th speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies covered by FedScoop, Defense Secretary Esper cites a culture "risk aversion" as an obstacle to the US military's ability to rapidly and affordably field new capabilities. Secretary Esper sees close engagement with the private sector as the key to changing that culture, but according to Defense News venture capitalists think one overlooked problem the Pentagon has is failure to give start-ups the reliable, recurring revenue they need. The slow, elaborate requirements process, the perennial villain in attempts to field capabilities quickly, has recently been on display in the JEDI program and other Defense cloud project, and the VCs think that needs to change, another Defense News piece reports. But this advice has been given so often, for so long, and in so many forms, that one may be excused for skepticism that it will be realized in the near term, if ever. It's crowded in low-earth orbit. A near-miss between a functioning and a defunct satellite brought the fore the growing problem of space debris. Leo Labs, a space debris tracking shop, tweeted its observations of the near collision: "We are monitoring a close approach event involving IRAS (13777), the decommissioned space telescope launched in 1983, and GGSE-4 (2828), an experimental US payload launched in 1967." Neither satellite was maneuverable, so there was nothing to be done about the near-miss except watch it. Fortunately the two spacecraft missed each other at their closest point of approach on January 30th. The incident highlighted the difficulty of predicting collisions: estimates of the probability of the two satellites' hitting one another fluctuated considerably as they approached, Science Alert notes. The odds had been as bad as 20 to 1, according to C4ISRNet's summary. For perspective, NASA has moved the International Space Station when the probability of collision reaches 100,000 to 1. Atmospheric effects on drag are complex and imperfectly modeled. One company, Planet, has decided to retire its RapidEye commercial imaging satellite constellation. First flown in 2008, the RapidEye spacecraft were designed to operate for seven years. They're still functioning, but Planet has decided to retire them this year, moving them from the current orbit at 398 miles (640 kilometers) to 368 miles (590 kilometers), which will reduce their time to de-orbit from seventy-five to twenty-five years. This meets the internationally agreed-upon best-practice: satellites should de-orbit within twenty-five years of ceasing operations. As Futurism pointed out, this month's near-miss prompted calls for more stringent international agreements on orbital debris management. IEEE Spectrum reports that the European Space Agency's ClearSpace-1 mission, funded in November, hopes to explore technological approaches to limiting the effect of orbital debris. The US Department of Defense has new cybersecurity requirements for contractors. The long-anticipated cybersecurity rules the Defense Department wants the Defense Industrial Base to live by reached their final form at the end of January. CMMC Model v1.0 will be phased in over the summer of 2020. The Defense Department is open to receiving comments on the rules, as Nextgov reports, but in outline the new guidelines establish a five-level system that grows more stringent with the sensitivity of the work a company performs. Previously contractors had been required to attest that they adhered to practices recommended by NIST. The new rules will require certification by paid, accredited, third-party assessors. Two cases highlight the personnel security and insider threat challenges. Charles Lieber, professor and chair of Harvard's chemistry and chemical biology department, has been charged with a single felony count for making false statements to US government agencies. The charge is related to his failure to disclose that he was working for China's Thousand Talents program, receiving $1.5 million from Wuhan University of Technology while he simultaneously received US Federal research grants. He faces up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. The Wall Street Journal observes that it's not illegal to receive foreign grants, but that any such relationships must be disclosed when applying for support from US agencies. A specialist in nanotechnology, Professor Lieber had received millions in grants from the US Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health. Quartz reports that a Raytheon Missile Systems engineer, Wei Sun, has been arrested for taking a company-issued laptop containing classified information with him on a trip to China. He's being charged with violating Federal export control laws. Apparently Raytheon's security staff found the problem and reported Mr. Sun to the authorities. [2234]   Today's edition of the CyberWire reports events affecting Afghanistan, Canada, China, Germany, Iran, Japan, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Selected Reading Attacks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities (11) Trends (1) Marketplace (34) Products, Services, and Solutions (5) Technologies, Techniques, and Standards (11) Design and Innovation (10) Research and Development (13) Legislation, Policy, and Regulation (38) Litigation, Investigation, and Law Enforcement (6) Attacks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities An old Air Force satellite and a space telescope came close to colliding (C4ISRNET) LeoLabs projects there is a 1 in 20 chance the two long decommissioned satellites could collide. Pentagon official: 'We don't fully know the reasons' North Korea didn't fire 'Christmas gift' (TheHill) A top Pentagon official said Tuesday it’s unclear why North Korea did not take provocation action such as a missile test after warning the United States about a “Christmas gift” last year. Iran, photos suggest a US-criticized satellite launch looms (Military Times) Iranian officials and satellite images suggest the Islamic Republic is preparing to a launch a satellite into space after three major failures last year, the latest for a program which the U.S. claims helps Tehran advance its ballistic missile program. Iran says ‘fierce attack has begun’ as rockets hit Iraq bases with American troops (Military Times) The Pentagon said it was working on a battle damage assessment. Iraqis claim rockets land near Baghdad International Airport, Iran-backed militia leaders may be target (Military Times) “The game has changed, and we’re prepared to do what is necessary to defend our personnel and our interests and our partners in the region. Qasem Soleimani killing: Iran vows 'severe revenge' (BBC News) The latest reaction and analysis after one of the most powerful figures in Iran is killed by US forces in Iraq. Iran is losing its grip on Iraq (TheHill) America has now taken critical action to shrink the force of the theocratic state. Iran Loses Its Indispensable Man (The Atlantic) The killing of Qassem Soleimani robs the regime of the central figure for its ambitions in the Middle East. The Soleimani Assassination Is America’s Most Consequential Strike This Century (The Atlantic) The U.S. attack against the top Iranian general will have far greater repercussions than the killings of al-Qaeda and ISIS leaders. In major escalation, American strike kills top Iranian commander in Baghdad (Washington Post) The Pentagon blamed Quds Force leader Qasem Soleimani for American deaths and said the strike was intended to head off future Iranian attacks. Secrets Stolen: What Will China Do With Data On Israel's Iron Dome Missile Defense? (Yahoo) If China can break into top-secret Israeli computers, they can break into America’s—and everybody else’s, too. Trends Space executive says the industry needs help to understand cyber threats (SpaceNews) Emerging companies in the space industry lack cybersecurity expertise and may be ill prepared to prevent or respond to attacks. Marketplace Defense firms cash in on an ‘unprecedented’ wave of classified spending (Washington Post) Some of the Washington area’s biggest defense contractors are making more money than ever from classified military and intelligence programs, top executives told investors this week, as competition with China and Russia drives a wave of secret spending one analyst called “unprecedented in recent history.” ‘The math doesn’t make sense’: Why venture capital firms are wary of defense-focused investments (Defense News) The Pentagon is working hard to entice small technology companies to work on defense projects, but investors that could prop up these businesses seem wary of putting forth the cash. How corporate defense venture funds fit into the VC ecosystem (Defense News) The Pentagon needs more venture capital firms to invest in defense projects. But a number of defense primes have their own venture funds. How does it all work together? Silicon Valley investors to DoD: Dual-use tech is a bad strategy (C4ISRNET) Tech that can be adapted from the commercial market to serve the needs of the military is core to the Defense Department's innovation strategy. But those willing to put money toward the big ideas think it’s the wrong approach. DoD’s top IT official talks AI, JEDI, and how to win over the commercial tech community (C4ISRNET) In an exclusive interview in December, the Pentagon Chief Information Officer Dana Deasy shared his priorities and strategy reshaping defense technology. 4 areas where the DoD could make tech development easier (Defense News) Representatives of venture capital firms and small startups have a few suggestions for the Pentagon. Tech startups still face the Pentagon’s ‘valley of death’ (Defense News) “I think the fundamental misunderstanding between the DoD and venture investors is just how difficult it is to keep the wheels on a fast-growing startup.” There’s a ‘sovereignty movement’ in tech, with big consequences (Defense News) For the last few years the Pentagon and technology community have muddled through efforts to improve cooperation, eliminating barriers to entry. US Space Industry to Launch Cybersecurity Portal (Infosecurity Magazine) Space ISAC cybersecurity information-sharing portal planned for spring 2020 EU leaders try to stir up space business, but funding is at risk (Defense News) “We have to make sure that money is there to support work on new ideas and new technologies, Space Force will host its own pitch day (C4ISRNET) Based on the popular network show Berico Technologies’ geoparsing tool, CLAVIN, now available on Amazon Web Services (Intelligence Community News) On January 30, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) posted a Draft Request for Proposal (DRFP) for the Geospatial-Intelligence (GEOINT) Air Force Wants Multi-Platform Jammers To Support MDO (Breaking Defense) The RFI is one of the first industry solicitations since the Air Force announced in April 2019 an overhaul of its EW operations to counter Russian and Chinese advances, and to enable multi-domain operations. Boeing takes $410 million charge to redo failed astronaut flight test if NASA requires (CNBC) NASA may require Boeing to re-fly its Starliner spacecraft after its failed December flight test. Air Force Warns Boeing’s New CEO That It’s Not Happy Either (Bloomberg) The Air Force’s top military officer has sent Boeing Co.’s new CEO a blunt reminder that the ill-fated 737 Max passenger jet isn’t the only troubled project he has to rescue. Another 'disastrous month' for Boeing as reputation hits rock bottom (CityAM) Boeing’s reputation has hit a record low this month, as the troubled plane maker gears up to announce its annual results this afternoon. Boeing's worst year in decades (Reuters) Boeing's new Chief Executive Officer David Calhoun started work on Monday, ... Boeing had more cancellations than new orders in 2019 (UPI) Boeing reported Tuesday it had more cancellations than new plane orders for 2019, a year that saw the worldwide grounding of its 737 Max aircraft after two crashes killed hundreds of people. Analysis | New Boeing CEO’s epic to-do list: Restart 737 Max production. Repair FAA links. And fix a culture where supervisors were called ‘monkeys.’ (Washington Post) The trove of internal Boeing documents -- that included discussions of manipulating regulators — add to the challenges stacking up for the aircraft maker's new CEO Boeing cancels Christmas bonuses for staff amid ongoing 737 Max crisis (The Telegraph) Boeing cancelled Christmas for its 2,500 UK staff by not paying festive bonuses as the aerospace giant feels the squeeze from 737 Max groundings. Boeing’s fired CEO keeps $80 million in pay and benefits despite crashes, cover ups, and scandal (Quartz) Muilenberg will take home $30 million more than the total sum set aside for the families of 346 crash victims. The 737 MAX Delay Is Just One of Boeing's Many Problems (Wired) Issues inside the company aren't limited to its commercial airliner business—even the space and defense divisions are suffering. Is Boeing heading towards a split of its businesses? (Aerotime) With its Commercial Aviation division caught in the middle of the 737 MAX crisis, Boeing has seen its financial results severely affected in 2019. However, the revenue of both its Defense, Space & Security and Global Services divisions are on the rise. Could Boeing split up its activities in order to protect them? Honeywell and Lockheed Martin to Provide for NASA's Orion Spacecraft (AiThority) Honeywell has been awarded a contract by Lockheed Martin to support production of NASA's Orion spacecraft fleet for the upcoming Artemis missions, DARPA selects BAE Systems to build next-gen mixed-signal electronics (Intelligent Aerospace) Potential applications include high capacity, robust communications, radars, and precision sensors. Raytheon wins Air Force contract for ground system to process missile warning satellite data (SpaceNews) The five-year contract is to develop the Future Operationally Resilient Ground Evolution, or FORGE. Air Force to end Raytheon’s troubled contract for ground-based radar and look for new options (Defense News) An industry day will be held in February for defense contractors eager to poach the contract. Northrop Grumman Common Infrared Countermeasure System Completes Free Flight Missile Testing (Northrop Grumman Newsroom) Northrop Grumman Corporation’s (NYSE: NOC) Common Infrared Countermeasure (CIRCM) system for the U.S. Army has successfully completed free flight missile testing at White Sands Missile Range. “CIRCM has undergone... France hires two firms to soup up jets with an electronic warfare capability (C4ISRNET) France has awarded a contract for Archange, its strategic airborne intelligence program aimed at strengthening the country’s signals intelligence capabilities. Orlando P. Carvalho Elected to the Board of Directors of Mercury Systems, Inc. (Globe Newswire) Mercury Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRCY, www.mrcy.com), announced that Orlando P. Carvalho, former Executive Vice President of Lockheed Martin’s Aeronautics business, was elected to the Board of Directors. With this election, the Board of Directors will consist of nine members, eight of which are independent directors. SAIC survives protest to hold onto $727M Air Force cloud contract (FedScoop) SAIC can officially start work on a five-year, $727 million Cloud One cloud computing contract with the Air Force now that a protest of the award has been denied. BAE buys up GPS, radio units divested by UTC, Raytheon (Defense News) The two units are being divested for antitrust reasons following the Raytheon-UTC merger. NASA Selects First Commercial Destination Module for Space Station (NASA) NASA has selected Axiom Space of Houston to provide at least one habitable commercial module to be attached to the International Space Station as the agency continues to open the station for commercial use. UK’s Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. Appoints Phil Brownnett As New Managing Director (SpaceWatch.Global) Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) announces the appointment of Phil Brownnett as Managing Direc Products, Services, and Solutions Space companies are scrambling to solve the problem of defunct satellites (Yahoo) A dead spacecraft is everybody's problem. SpaceX successfully launches 60 more satellites for its Starlink broadband internet constellation (TechCrunch) SpaceX successfully launched its third batch of 60 Starlink satellites — the second designated “production” hardware, after launching an initial group of 60 early in 2019 to test the technology. This group launched aboard a Falcon 9 with a first-stage booster that has already seen… Why SpaceX's Starlink satellites caught astronomers off guard (Space.com) Nobody knew they'd be this bright. SATCOM datalink airborne command post (Military & Aerospace Electronics) The Boeing E-6 Mercury airborne command post and communications relay aircraft is based on the stretched Boeing 707-320 narrow-body passenger jet. New Flight Safety-Certifiable Multicore Processing Modules Enable Smarter Mission-Critical Applications (Globe Newswire) Mercury first in aerospace and defense industry to provide safety-certified Intel multicore processing solution required for the most advanced avionics platforms Technologies, Techniques, and Standards The Air Force’s new system to process missile warning data (C4ISRNET) The Air Force has selected Raytheon to build FORGE, a new system to collect and fuse data from the military’s space-based missile warning sensors. A new satellite to produce imagery for the intelligence community (C4ISRNET) Capella has already secured contracts with the Air Force and National Reconnaissance Office for the unique imagery it plans to provide using synthetic aperture radar. European Space Agency Targets Orbital Debris, Solar Storms (IEEE Spectrum) The ClearSpace-1 and Lagrange missions will try to make life safer both in orbit and here on Earth The Air Force tested its Advanced Battle Management System. Here’s what worked, and what didn’t. (C4ISRNET) We regret to inform you that the robot dogs need some work. How the Army and Air Force are linking comms (C4ISRNET) The Army and Air Force are starting to partner on building common frameworks for networks and communications systems. Future battles will require these 5 pillars of cyber resilience (Fifth Domain) How can soldiers move, shoot, and communicate with yesterday’s approach to cyber hardening platforms? A new GPS III satellite is online. What will it bring to the fleet? (C4ISRNET) Thanks to the Contingency Operations program, the military is able to utilize the new navigation satellite without the next generation ground segment being built for it. How Laser Weapons are Changing the Defense Equation (Lockheed Martin) With rapidly changing technology, warfare is evolving along similar lines around the globe. Today’s threats are technologically advanced, relatively low-cost, small-scale and lethal. Early Detection System At Maryland's Fort Meade Warned U.S Troops Of Iranian Missile Strike, Reports Say (CBS Baltimore) A real-time missile detection system based out of Maryland warned U.S. troops about the Iranian strike before it happened, according to several reports.  What We Know About the Missiles Iran Fired Into Iraq (Defense One) To begin with, they’re getting more accurate. What we know about Iran’s counter-space weapons (C4ISRNET) While Iran is unlikely to have effective direct ascent anti-satellite weapons in the near future, they have developed technologies that could potentially degrade or deny U.S. space capabilities in their territory. Design and Innovation Full Page Reload (IEEE Spectrum) Kepler Communications’ CubeSat routers will keep other satellites in constant contact with the ground. Chinese threats means the Pentagon needs new C4ISR systems (C4ISRNET) An independent assessment mandated by Congress proposed the revamping of C4ISR systems as they remain “brittle in the face of Chinese cyberattacks, electronic warfare and long-range strikes.” Esper takes aim at DOD 'culture,' risk aversion (FedScoop) Esper spoke about his desired reforms to DOD culture that inhibit needed development of new technologies, many of which are critical to national security. Techstars Grooms 10 Tech Startups For Air Force (Breaking Defense) Of 20 commercial startups the Techstars Air Force Accelerator has helped, 19 have gone on to win a collective $20-plus million in DoD Small Business Innovation Research contracts. New Pentagon Team Will Develop Ways to Fight Enemy Drones (Military.com) The DoD named the U.S. Army as executive agent for counter-UAS for all the services. Five Features That Make Sierra Nevada’s Dream Chaser Spaceplane Unique (Forbes) NASA's only lifting body spacecraft has impressive potential. This satellite will deliver twice the capability of the current constellation (C4ISRNET) The 11th Wideband Global SATCOM satellite will be able to use beam forming and other commercial technology to deliver more capability to the war fighter. French military taps Thales to study ISR sensor options for ‘Stratobus’ airship (Defense News) The aim of the project is to see if stratospheric blimps could be useful to the French armed forces. Northrop Grumman Selected to Lead US Army’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense Weapon System’s Software Transformation (Northrop Grumman Newsroom) Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) was awarded a $70 million, 28-month contract on Nov. 6, 2019 to transform the software development process for the U.S. Army’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) Battle Command... Northrop Grumman to Rapidly Develop Open Architecture Radio for US Air Force (Northrop Grumman Newsroom) Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) has been awarded a contract to develop and demonstrate a Software Programmable Open Mission Systems (OMS) Compliant (SPOC) radio terminal for the U.S. Air Force. Northrop Grumman’s... Research and Development Lockheed Martin experiments with a mesh network in space (C4ISRNET) Pony Express 1 is the first of several experimental missions being conducted by Lockheed Martin to test cloud networking concepts in space, along with other software-defined capabilities. DARPA just took a big step towards turning a C-130 into a flying drone carrier (Task & Purpose) The Defense Department just took a major step towards making the dream of a flying drone carrier a reality Denver communications company teams up with Boeing on technology called a “game changer” (The Denver Post) The Denver-based company BridgeComm Inc. is teaming up with aerospace giant Boeing on the next step in development of its technology for ultra-fast, wireless communications. Where to store all this intelligence data? How about DNA? (C4ISRNET) Could synthetic DNA hold the key to storing massive amounts of data at scale? Shift5, Inc., Awarded US Air Force Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Funding (PR Newswire) Cybersecurity company Shift5, Inc., announces that it has been awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contract from the US... SpaceX Launch: Highlights From the Crew Dragon Safety Test (New York Times) To prove it is safe for astronauts, the company tested its Crew Dragon capsule’s rescue system. SpaceX blew up a rocket and this time it’s great news (Quartz) The explosive finish to an eight-year test program. Max Q: SpaceX succeeds with a spectacular Crew Dragon test launch (TechCrunch) Max Q is a new weekly newsletter all about space. Sign up here to receive it weekly on Sundays in your inbox. We’re off and running with good milestones achieved for NASA’s commercial crew program, which means it’s more likely than ever we’ll actually see astronauts launch f… SpaceX sets key Crew Dragon in-flight abort test for January 18 (TechCrunch) SpaceX and NASA have shared an official target launch date for the all-important in-flight abort test of Crew Dragon, their commercial crew spacecraft. The in-flight abort test is a required component before NASA astronauts can climb on board and take their first trip aboard the Crew Dragon. NASA a… Raytheon tapped for self-evaluating machine learning system (UPI) Raytheon Co. announced on Monday it has begun work on a machine-learning technology allowing machines to teach machines through use of artificial intelligence. USAF Scientific Advisers Lay Out 2020 Study Plans (Air Force Magazine) The Air Force’s science advisers in 2020 will launch studies on future communications, innovation in space, and the unintended consequences of autonomy. The Pentagon wants self-sufficient search-and-rescue drones (C4ISRNET) A new initiative would use artificial intelligence to enable drones on disaster response operations. NASA’s planet-hunting satellite found another potentially habitable Earth-sized planet (TechCrunch) NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has discovered another Earth-sized, potentially habitable planet orbiting around a star in the range of distances where conditions could allow for the presence of liquid water on the planet’s surface. Using NASA’s Spitzer Space T… Legislation, Policy, and Regulation Questions abound for Iranian military in wake of Soleimani killing (The Washington Times) Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the veteran Iranian military leader killed by a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad earlier this month, enjoyed a level of autonomy from his superiors in Tehran that his successor likely will not possess, according to a new analysis of the Iranian military from the American Enterprise Institute. Successor to slain Iran general faces same fate if he kills Americans - U.S. envoy (Reuters) The successor to the Iranian commander killed in a U.S. drone strike would suffe... Iran accuses Europe of yielding to 'high school bully' Trump in nuclear row (Reuters) Iran said on Thursday three European states had succumbed to "high school b... UN Chief Says 'Stop Escalation' Amid Rising U.S.-Iran Tensions (RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has joined a number of political leaders across the world in calling for restraint amid rapidly rising tensions between Washington and Tehran after the United States killed Iran's top military commander. ‘We did not intend to kill,’ Iranian commander says of missile strike on U.S. targets (Washington Post) Rocket attacks in Baghdad on Wednesday suggested that the risk of escalation remained. With missile strike, Trump opts for escalation and a swing at a ‘hornets’ nest’ (Washington Post) U.S. administrations carefully avoided actions that might provoke an Iranian war. Until now. Will Iran’s Response to the Soleimani Strike Lead to War? (Foreign Affairs) The desire for revenge in Iran, and the political momentum that desire is already beginning to generate, may inevitably draw the United States and Iran into a major conflict. How Trump decided to kill a top Iranian general (Washington Post) The president met with top advisers at Mar-a-Lago before authorizing the strike that killed Qasem Soleimani. Perspective | Killing a top Iranian military leader was a whack-for-tat move (Washington Post) Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani was no stateless outlaw like Osama bin Laden. The U.S. drone strike that killed him sets us on a dangerous path. Esper: U.S. Could Strike Iran Or Proxies 'Where Legally Available And Appropriate' (NPR) In an interview with NPR on Monday, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said if U.S. troops or interests are threatened, the U.S. will have the right to retaliate. Japan reveals plan for space defense unit (Defense News) The Space Domain Mission Unit is to launch in April as part of Japan's Air Self-Defense Force. New bill could get Italy its own DARPA (Defense News) A new bill in the Italian Senate envisages the setup of a new agency able to stimulate and coordinate the development of civil technologies for military application. Former fighter pilot picked to lead British military’s space command (Defense News) Creating a Space Command and setting up a Cabinet-level National Space Council are among the initiatives being pursued by leaders in London. Esper Is Attempting the Biggest Defense Reform in a Generation (Defense One) In two recent memos, the SecDef reveals his intention to change how the Pentagon uses its money, people, and time. One military space agency’s plan for 1,000 new satellites by 2026 (C4ISRNET) The Space Development Agency plans to launch satellites in two-year installments, rapidly growing its footprint in LEO until it's operating nearly 1,000 satellites in 2026. US Space Command Has Passed First Combat Test, Officials Say (Military.com) Early warning capabilities helped protect U.S. troops on the ground. The U.S. Space Force Is Not a Joke (The Atlantic) It’s not all President Trump promised, but it exists now. Air Force general sworn in as first Space Force leader (Stars and Stripes) In his new role, Gen. Jay Raymond will also serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Pentagon to talk Space Force plans, uniforms with Trump (Roll Call) Defense Department brass are expected to brief President Donald Trump on their plans for standing up a new military branch called the Space Force. Space Force Offers First Peek at Camouflage Uniform (Military.com) The United States Space Force has only one member so far, but it appears the service utility uniform is already well under development. These Space Force uniforms look awfully familiar (Military Times) Space Force has put its own spin on occupational camouflage. POLL: What should members of Space Force be called? (Military Times) “It’s going to be really important that we get this right. 2 goals for one of the military’s new space organizations (C4ISRNET) Maj. Gen. John Shaw explains his 2020 priorities for one of the U.S. Space Command's two subordinate commands. Due Date Looms for Space Force’s First Org Chart (Air Force Magazine) The Space Force has three weeks to come up with an initial organization plan that Congress wants by Feb. 1, a service official said Jan. 10. The Creation of a U.S. Space Force: It’s Only the End of the Beginning (War on the Rocks) Mankind has had ten-thousand years of experience at fighting and if we must fight, we have no excuse for not fighting well. Former NASA Commander Says Space Force 'Incredibly Important' (Nextgov.com) Pam Melroy also explained how commercial space flights could pave the way for an entirely new tourism paradigm. How would the Space Force wage war? (TheHill) The people forming the Space Force and its doctrine must develop ways to wage war in the heavens without generating a catastrophic amount of orbiting debris. Space Development Agency on track to become part of Space Force in 2022, director says (Defense News) The transfer to the Space Force will occur just after it launches its first satellites. Want to work for Space Force? Civilian positions are now hiring (Federal Times) Federal employees looking to be the first civilians hired to work for the newly minted Space Force have a narrow window of opportunity. The US Air Force finally has a Space Force, and now some of its bases could be getting new names (Business Insider) Space Force was officially created in December, but there are still "thousands and thousands" of things that have to happen to get it operational. Too many cooks in the DoD: New policy may suppress rapid acquisition (Defense News) New acquisition guidance release Dec. 30, 2019, is more likely to pump the brakes on rapid acquisition than propel it forward. Space weather bill advances but still faces hurdles (POLITICO) AI's role in military space operations — How space makes the Iran crisis more transparent NASA CIO Wynn to retire after 30 years in government (Federal News Network) Renee Wynn, NASA’s CIO since 2015, announced she is leaving federal service on March 31st. GSA’s Davie headed to new role at NASA (Federal News Network) Mary Davie, GSA’s director of the program management office for human resources shared services, will leave the agency after 30 years on Feb. 3. Battle of semantics leads to change in the way combatant commands are named (Federal News Network) Morale and supporting command roles are reasons for the likely change. ‘Unbelievably ridiculous’: Four-star general seeks to clean up Pentagon’s classification process (Defense News) Gen. John Hyten, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, hopes to see “significant improvement” this year on loosening classification standards in the infamously overclassified Pentagon. The military's contractor cyber standards are officially here (FedScoop) The Pentagon issued the final standards under the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) on Friday. Version 1.0 marks the first step towards implementing the new cybersecurity standards into all Defense Department contracts. DOD Plans to Take Comments Before Finalizing Rule on Certifying Contractors’ Cybersecurity (Nextgov.com) Select requests for proposals are expected to include related requirements by the fall. Litigation, Investigation, and Law Enforcement Raytheon engineer arrested for taking US missile defense secrets to China (Quartz) The case revolves around a laptop on the lam. Harvard prof charged with hiding China ties, payments (Navy Times) His arrest came on the heels of two other indictments targeting Chinese citizens in the Boston area. Iran announces arrests over downing of plane that killed 176 (AP NEWS) Iran said Tuesday that authorities have made arrests for the accidental shootdown of a Ukrainian passenger plane, which killed all 176 people on board and set off protests in... Iran admits to shooting down Ukrainian passenger jet because of ‘human error’ (Washington Post) The passenger plane turned toward a sensitive military site belonging to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard at an altitude that made it appear to be a hostile aircraft, Iran’s military said in a statement. Time to end Oracle’s long legal fight against JEDI Cloud contract, government says (Federal News Network) Government lawyers tell a federal appeals court that Oracle’s complaints about conflicts of interest are now moot, and that DoD has plenty of ways to justify its controversial single-award decision. Amazon asks court to pause Microsoft's work on Pentagon's JEDI contract (Reuters) Amazon.com Inc said on Wednesday it filed a motion in court to pause the U.S. De...

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