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Benchmark Space Systems, an in-space mobility company based in Burlington, Vermont, has launched a driver-assist control system that allows highly precise satellite maneuvers. The system, called SmartAIM, extends a spacecraft's navigation capabilities using software controls embedded in Benchmark's nontoxic chemical, electric and hybrid propulsion systems. Kayhan Space's Pathfinder spaceflight safety service is integrated into the platform, providing optimized maneuver planning and autonomous space traffic coordination support. Benchmark developed SmartAIM in collaboration with the Air Force Research Laboratory, Satellite Evolution Group reported.

A nanosatellite built for studying black holes and neutron stars from low-Earth orbit is set to launch on the next SpaceX Transporter rideshare mission. Japanese research institute Riken, which funds the mission, procured the NinjaSat spacecraft from Mitsui Bussan Aerospace and selected NanoAvionics as a subcontractor responsible for providing a 6U satellite platform. NinjaSat will carry a payload for tracking X-ray photons, gas multiplier counters and radiation belt monitors. One of the targets for observation is Scorpius X-1, a binary star system with a fast-spinning neutron star, SpaceNews reported.

The U.S. Air Force is seeking contractors that can provide base operations support for the Navy Systems Management Activity at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C. The contractor will furnish all personnel, labor, equipment, transportation, tools, materials, supplies, supervision, quality control, management and other necessary items and services. The services will focus on NSMA's facilities, ground structures, personal property equipment and installed equipment systems. Interested firms have until Aug. 21 to respond, according to a notice posted on SAM .gov.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Tulsa District is looking for companies that can provide architecture and engineering services and plans to solicit proposals for a five-year, $99 million indefinite-delivery contract on or about December, according to a sources sought notice. The responses to the notice and associated market research will determine the type of set-aside decisions that will be issued. Some of the required A-E services include program management, data management, project programming and planning, feasibility and concept studies and design. Interested parties have until Sept. 7 to respond, according to the notice posted on SAM .gov.

Amazon Web Services has launched a cyber grant program for K12 school districts and state departments of education in the United States. Under the program, the company will commit $20 million to recipient schools and support the upskilling and reskilling of K12 IT staff through AWS Skill Builder, a digital learning center that offers more than 600 no-cost courses. According to AWS, the program is designed to help schools implement cloud-based cybersecurity solutions. The effort supports the federal government’s project of improving the cybersecurity resilience of K12 education communities, AWS said.

Poland is acquiring hundreds of Spike tank-killing missiles through Rafael Advanced Defense Systems' longstanding Polish industry partner, Mesko, which will produce the missile parts and assemble the weapon in Poland. According to Rafael, the order placed by the Polish defense ministry is worth almost $100 million. Poland's way of acquiring the Spike missile differs from the approach taken by other European customers of the missile, whose production is typically performed by EuroSpike, a joint venture between Diehl Defence, Rheinmetall and Rafael, in Germany, Defense News reported.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has awarded the University of Southern California a $9 million cost reimbursement contract for processor reconfiguration for wideband spectrum sensing. The contract will see the institution develop processors capable of providing autonomous radio frequency systems with decision-directed situational awareness about complex and uncertain electromagnetic environments. It will be performed in Arlington, Virginia, and should be completed by November 2026, the Department of Defense said.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) granted Blockchain.com a major payment institution license on August 1, allowing it to provide digital payment services to institutional and accredited investors. Blockchain.com offers crypto financing services across over 200 countries, creating 87 million crypto wallets and managing over 33 percent of bitcoin transactions worth over $1 trillion. The cryptocurrency exchange becomes Singapore's twelfth digital payment token service provider, joining the likes of Paxos and DBS Vickers. Blockchain.com received an in-principal approval from MAS in September 2022, Cointelegraph reported Tuesday.

Maj. Gen. Gregory Gagnon, the U.S. Space Force's deputy chief of space operations for intelligence, recently shared that 50 percent of the service's intelligence-gathering efforts are focused on China and 25 percent on Russia. He told the Space Force Association on Thursday that the remaining 25 percent is directed at the private sector to understand it "from an intelligence perspective." Gagnon, a past Potomac Officers Club event speaker, explained that China requires monitoring because of its rapidly growing space capabilities, Breaking Defense reported Friday.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) will provide SGD 150 million (USD 111.64 million) over three years to strengthen innovation across the financial technology sector. The funding, provided through the Financial Sector Technology and Innovation Scheme 3.0 (FSTI 3.0) vehicle, will be distributed across three tracks: FinTech innovation acceleration, responsible FinTech governance, and corporate venture capital-supported innovation. FSTI 3.0 will also support regulation technology, artificial intelligence and data analytics adoption across financial firms, and FinTech workforce development, the Monetary Authority of Singapore said Monday.