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Azercosmos will resell Starlink satellite broadband connectivity in Azerbaijan under a new agreement with developer SpaceX. Starlink has already completed testing by Azercosmos and is expected to be available on land, sea, various modes of transport and in remote areas of the former Soviet republic. According to Samaddin Asadov, CEO of Azercosmos, the technology will serve as an alternative to conventional, outdated telecommunications networks, Satellite Evolution Group reported.

NASA has awarded Advanced Space two Small Business Innovation Research Phase I contracts to develop a cislunar mission design and planning tool and technology for in-orbit collision avoidance. Under the first SBIR award, the company will work on its proposed Contingency Analysis for Low-thrust Missions tool, which will use operational algorithms to predict and mitigate risks spacecraft could face during their journey to orbits near the moon. The other SBIR contract will focus on developing the Satellite Collision and Risk Assessment using Machine Learning solution to automate collision risk analysis and validate collision avoidance maneuvers, SatNow reported.

Early career scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory have secured multiyear Department of Energy funding for projects in environmental science, applied mathematics and particle physics. The latest DOE Early Career Research Awards will support Rich Fiorella's work in improving coastal-urban environmental models using stable water isotope ratios and numerical tracers and Kun Liu's research on the hadron mass origin. Through the grant, Andrey Lokhov will apply machine learning to quantum physics, power grids, turbulence and field theories, while Yu Zhang will focus on multiscale modeling for molecular quantum electrodynamics, LANL said.

Leidos and Permion will work to accelerate the use of artificial intelligence in critical national security mission sets under a strategic collaboration. The collaboration will involve the use of Permion's X-Machines Instruction Set Architecture and Leidos' technology capabilities. The XVM-ISA platform will improve applications and capabilities that can be deployed on the tactical edge, on-premises or in the cloud, Leidos said Monday.

Eutelsat Asia has signed a partnership agreement with Thaicom subsidiary Space Tech Innovation to expand its connectivity services all over Asia. The agreement is related to a new software-defined satellite that will be positioned at the 119.5-degree East orbital slot. STI will procure the geostationary SDS, which is expected to be delivered by 2027. The satellite will expand Eutelsat's in-orbit assets and provide 50 Gbps of incremental capacity in Asia to address the increased demand for connectivity in the region, Satellite Evolution Group reported.

Leidos has entered into a strategic partnership with artificial intelligence and machine learning platform provider Permion to accelerate AI adoption in national security. Under the partnership, Leidos will use Permion's X-Machines Instruction Set Architecture, a data-oriented AI platform, to enhance technologies applications and capabilities deployed on the tactical edge, on-premises or in the cloud. Work is also underway to develop an explainable knowledge-graph generative AI and large language model solution based on Permion's Open-Source Intelligence and Relationship Interference System, Leidos said Monday.

The U.S. Army has awarded Oshkosh Defense a $201 million contract to supply the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles. The deal is anticipated to boost the Army's transport of warfighters and supplies and recovery of vehicles. An upgraded version of the aging FMTV A1P2 line of vehicles, the FMTV A2 reportedly comes with modernized engine and electrical systems, increased payload capacity and improved off-road capability. The company has supplied nearly 2,000 FMTV A2s and 1,000 FMTV trailers to the military service for a total of $858 million, The Defense Post reported.

Lockheed Martin's satellite designs for the Tranche 1 Transport Layer constellation have cleared the Space Development Agency's critical design review, meaning the company can proceed to the satellite production process. As part of the CDR, SDA evaluated Lockheed's ground and supplier designs and conducted an optical communications terminal interoperability test. SDA previously awarded Lockheed a contract to deliver 42 T1TL satellites for secure, low-latency military data transmission and connectivity. T1TL satellites are slated for launch beginning in 2024, Lockheed Martin said.

Frontgrade Technologies, a Veritas Capital portfolio company and a space electronics supplier, has completed its acquisition of Aethercomm, which manufactures radio frequency solid-state power amplifiers and switches. According to Todd Thornton, Aethercomm’s founder and CEO, the acquisition will increase investments in space electronics research and development. As a new Frontgrade division, Aethercomm will offer integrated RF and antenna solutions to aerospace and defense customers, Frontgrade said Monday.

The Green and Sustainable Finance Cross-Agency Steering Group of Hong Kong shared their priorities for enhancing the sustainable finance ecosystem of the special administrative region. In a press release published by the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), the Steering Group plans to establish a road map for implementing the International Financial Reporting Standards Sustainability Disclosure Standards. Additionally, they aim to strengthen the finance ecosystem's capacity, data, and technology to facilitate a net-zero transition across the economy through workshops supporting non-listed companies and small and medium-sized enterprises, a portal containing climate-related data, potential private-public partnerships for technology development, and stakeholder engagement to create a financial technology road map. The Steering Group also seeks to cultivate diverse and trustworthy markets to support financial institutions and corporations in their transition planning and reporting. The Steering Group is co-chaired by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the Securities and Futures Commission, the SFC said.