GovConJudicata Weekly Debrief (2/13–17)

This week's Weekly Debrief covers NASA and commercial space destinations, OSC's options for a commercial SSA pilot, UFOs, Navy's infrastructure problem, and OPM's special model for IT employees.

Space

NextGov – NASA Wants to Make Sure Commercial Space Destinations Have All the Right Amenities

• "The U.S. space agency is giving up its time-share in low Earth orbit—the International Space Station—by the end of the decade and is working with industry partners to ensure new commercial destinations have all the necessary amenities to make future trips worthwhile."

SpaceNews – Office of Space Commerce examines options for commercial SSA pilot project in LEO

• "With one commercial space traffic coordination pilot project successfully completed, the Office of Space Commerce is considering ways to do a similar project in the more challenging environment of low Earth orbit."

UFO

GovExec – What Is a UFO? The U.S. Shot down Three Mysterious Objects as Interest and Concern Increase Over Unidentified Craft

• "On the heels of the Feb. 4, 2023, shooting down of a Chinese balloon suspected of spying on the U.S., American fighter jets have shot down three additional objects in or near U.S. airspace."

Navy

DefenseOne – Fix Navy Infrastructure’s ‘Worst Problems’ First, Secretary Says

• "The Navy secretary has asked for a multi-year plan to address the department’s most pressing infrastructure problems and identify long-term priorities. “I've tasked my staff at the Department of Navy to put together a 30-year infrastructure plan, just like the shipbuilding plan, so that we can take a long-term, medium-term, short-term view on what our highest priorities are in the Department of the Navy so that we can actually get real about the challenges…that we face in order to get better,” Carlos Del Toro said during a speech Thursday at the West 2023 conference in San Diego."

OPM

FedNewsNet – OPM’s Special Salary Rate for federal IT employees narrows gap with private-sector pay

• "A new governmentwide pay model for federal IT and cybersecurity employees is coming into focus, although the timing of its final release and the scope of agencies that adopt it remains unclear. The Office of Personnel Management last month approved a Special Salary Rate (SSR) for federal employees working in 2210-classified IT and cybersecurity positions, but the agency still needs to finalize many of the details before its public release."

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