Welcome to The Wrap for Wednesday, July 8!
From the newsroom at MeriTalk, it’s the quickest read in federal tech news. Here’s what you need to know today:
NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration
’s tiny-but-mighty CAPSTONE spacecraft has wrapped up nearly four years of lunar testing, proving that smarter – not bigger – can be a winning strategy in space. After validating a fuel-efficient orbit around the Moon, the microwave-sized spacecraft – owned and operated by Advanced Space – pulled double duty as an in-space technology lab, testing autonomous navigation, resilient deep-space communications, and software upgrades without the need for a new satellite. Two experiments aboard CAPSTONE advanced technologies considered essential for future lunar missions: The autonomous Navigation, Guidance, and Control software and demonstrated delay/disruption tolerant networking. The results give NASA valuable data for future Artemis missions and its broader goal of supporting a long term presence on the Moon by the mid-2030s and future crewed missions to Mars in 2028. In short: CAPSTONE delivered outsized progress toward making long-term lunar exploration a practical reality.
The
U.S. Department of Justice
’s
Federal Bureau of Prisons
(BOP) is putting tablets into the hands of every inmate. BOP’s new inmate tablet services contract will deliver secure tablets to everyone in BOP custody through a phased deployment. The tablets are designed to modernize communications, education, rehabilitation, and administration across BOP facilities, with tools for academic coursework, literacy support, career training, faith-based resources, healthcare education, and reentry preparation. They will also support secure messaging and video communication with loved ones. Additionally, BOP expects the platform to move everyday tasks – including commissary ordering, inmate request forms, and program registration – out of the paper pile and into secure digital systems. Rear Admiral Michael Crockett, BOP’s national health technology administrator, said the tablets also offer potential to improve the bureau’s healthcare system. “In the future, I think that tablet could be the front door to the clinic,” he said. That’s a pretty big tech upgrade for BOP.
The
US Navy
is taking its tech push under the sea – launching a next-generation undersea security initiative to build a network of industry and nonprofit partners for rapid prototype development. The Next Generation Undersea Security Initiative comes from the Navy’s Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Strategic Systems Programs, which oversees the sea-based leg of the nation’s nuclear triad. Through the effort, the Navy wants to create “a sphere of technological excellence” across qualified partners. The initiative lays out 22 focus areas, ranging from signature reduction and counter-unmanned systems to artificial intelligence, electronic security, advanced screening, robotics-enabled patrols, and Trident II D5 risk reduction. The bottom line: Navy leaders are looking for faster ways to keep strategic assets secure, quiet, and ahead of the curve – especially beneath the surface.
The
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA) got a watchdog nudge to tighten the bolts after an audit found security and access gaps in the Veterans Health Administration’s Patient Advocate Tracking System-Replacement. The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) said VA incorrectly categorized the system as low risk, despite its use of veterans’ personal and medical information, and did not reassess that label after a 2023 move to the cloud. VA made fixes during the audit, including updating the system to moderate risk and automating removal of inactive accounts, but OIG said the new designation may still be insufficient. The report found some employees kept access they no longer needed, and 89% of surveyed users said losing medical-record access through the system would not affect their work. VA accepted all five recommendations from the OIG. Translation: The help desk for veterans needs a sharper lock on the file cabinet.
Once again, let’s “call IT a day,” but we’ll bring you more tomorrow. Until then, please check the MeriTalk breaking news website throughout the day for the latest on government IT people, progress, and policy.
And finally, please hit the news tip jar (with leads, breaking news, or simply your two cents) at newsstaff@meritalk.com.