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Happy Flag Day!
Our top story this week brings an update on efforts from the Space Force to diversify its portfolio of space launch providers, currently limited to only two: SpaceX and ULA.
- The National Security Space Launch program provides avenues for newcomers to get on contract, but companies have experienced predictable delays in maturing the technology. The Space Force's acquisition strategy intentionally provides on-ramps for those companies down the road.
In other acquisition news, the Navy's use of portfolio management for IT systems is bearing fruit, allowing for a big picture view of capabilities that can be divested, making room for more modern systems.
- A notable sign of success: the Navy has made 10 times more SBIR awards in the past 14 months than in the previous decade.
SOFWERX is putting on an innovation foundry event in August designed to generate collaborative solutions for contested logistics scenarios.
- The goal is to "bring together SOCOM officials, technology developers, futurists and other subject matter experts to brainstorm high-tech capabilities and their potential applications, with an eye toward what the operating environment might look like in 2030."
GSA has launched a new tool, Procurement Co-Pilot, which helps acquisition professionals easily see what agencies across government have paid, along with other procurement data.
In other tech innovation news, the Air Force launched its own secure chatbot, NIPRGPT, which is intended to help with communications, task completion, and online coding.
DIU is working with the Air Force Research Lab to develop a gig talent marketplace, currently available only for military reserve members. The goal is to help quickly find talent for important short-term Pentagon projects.
Development of ADVANA is on pause to accommodate increased demand for DoD's data-analytics platform. No date yet for when updates will resume.
In ARP news, we're celebrating contract management lecturer Kelley Poree, who won the competitive Liskin Award for Teaching Excellence.
And in NPS news, we continue to celebrate important partnerships between NPS and DOD -- a new effort is underway to develop FutureG/5G projects with OUSD(R&E) -- and industry -- Qualcomm was named partner of the year by the NPS Foundation and Alumni Association.
Finally, if you want a refresher on Flag Day, check out the info in our One More Thing section.
This Week's Top Story
US Space Force plans to boost competition for launch business. Will it work?
Courtney Albon, C4ISRNET
Whenever the U.S. military launched a satellite over the last six years, the rocket carrying that payload bore the logo of SpaceX or the United Launch Alliance — the only companies eligible to fly National Security Space Launch missions.
Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck has watched those launches while smaller and emerging providers like his own company lacked a clear pathway to compete for the missions.
He and other launch executives have encouraged the Space Force to create entry points for firms building new rockets. And now they may have a way forward.
The Space Force announced last year that the next phase of its strategy for procuring launches would set aside missions for new providers. It was welcome news for Beck, who believes his company’s Neutron rocket, still in development, will be a top contender.
“That was the right approach,” Beck told C4ISRNET in an interview. “We really wanted that approach to occur, and we were very vocal that that’s the way it should be.”
The strategy for Phase 3 of the Space Force’s National Security Space Launch program, or NSSL, includes two lanes in which companies can compete to launch military satellites.
Lane 1, which will include 30 launches from 2025 through 2034, is for new providers. Missions in this category have less stringent requirements, and companies will have a chance to join annually as they prove their rockets are ready.
The service plans to select initial, eligible Lane 1 companies this spring but won’t award the first round of contracts until next year. While launch vehicles don’t need to move through the traditional certification process, firms must fly their rockets by Dec. 15, 2024, to receive an initial contract.
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