NASA has selected Sean Gallagher as the agency’s chief information officer (CIO). In this role, he is responsible for the agency’s entire portfolio of Information Technology products and services. Gallagher has been serving in an acting capacity since January and his permanent role is effective immediately.

“Sean Gallagher’s leadership has been instrumental in strengthening NASA’s IT foundation and ensuring our workforce has the secure, modern tools needed to enable groundbreaking missions every day,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson. “As CIO, Sean will continue advancing the agency’s technology capabilities to support discovery, innovation, and mission success across NASA.”

Most recently, Gallagher also has served as the deputy chief information officer for Operations in the Office of the Chief Information Officer at NASA Headquarters in Washington, as well as a senior advisor for Transformation. This team provides services to tens of thousands of end users located in the U.S. and abroad in support of NASA missions, enabling discoveries, faster data sharing, increased workforce productivity, and more. Gallagher has worked with all NASA centers to implement efficient and effective IT operating models.

Previously, Gallagher was the CIO of NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, leading IT initiatives for aeronautics, space, research and engineering, and test missions. He joined NASA in 2012 as Glenn’s deputy CIO and previously worked at Booz Allen Hamilton as a senior associate supporting a variety of federal, defense, and commercial customers.

Gallagher developed his leadership and management experience as a Signal Corps officer in the United States Army. He also served as a platoon leader managing the combat service support readiness of a tactical communications unit, a human resource manager for the 40th Signal Battalion, and as a network engineer for the 11th Signal Brigade. He has a bachelor’s degree in physics from John Carroll University and a master’s degree in computer information systems from the University of Phoenix.

For more information about NASA’s missions, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov

-end-

Camille Gallo / Cheryl Warner
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
camille.m.gallo@nasa.gov / cheryl.m.warner@nasa.gov

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Jun 23, 2026

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Jennifer M. Dooren

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CSDA Selects Eight Commercial Satellite Data Providers for On-Ramp 2 Contract Awards

2026-06-23 18:57

NASA’s Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition program (CSDA) announced contract awards with eight commercial satellite data providers offering a range of data types to support the agency’s Earth science research and application goals.

The CSDA program On-Ramp 2 Multiple Award contract is a firm-fixed-price indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) multiple-award contract with a maximum cumulative value of $476 million and a performance period through November 2028.

The CSDA IDIQ contract includes an on‑ramp provision that allows NASA to periodically reopen the solicitation, giving new vendors the opportunity to submit proposals. This mechanism also enables existing CSDA vendors to propose new data products, whether newly developed or derived from new instruments, that were not available during the original proposal period.

Newly Added Contract Holders

Vendor	Sensor
HydroSat	Thermal Infrared Visible and Near-Infrared (VNIR)
Ororatech	Thermal Infrared – Medium Wavelength Infrared (MWIR) and Long Wavelength Infrared (LWIR)
ImageSat	Optical Multispectral Instrument (MSI)
Satlantis	Optical MSI / Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions
Kuva Space	Hyperspectral – VNIR and Short Wavelength Infrared (SWIR)
Wyvern	Hyperspectral – VNIR
Orbital Sidekick	Hyperspectral – VNIR and SWIR
Muon Space	Global Navigation Satellite System – Radar (GNSS-R)

Current CSDA Contract Holders with New Products

Vendor	Sensor
Airbus	Optical MSI / Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)
ICEYE	SAR
GHGSat	GHG Emissions
Planet Labs	Optical MSI / Hyperspectral
PlanetiQ	Global Navigation Satellite System – Radio Occultation (GNSS-RO)
Tomorrow.io	Microwave Sounder

“NASA’s Earth science community relies on a diverse suite of observations from spaceborne, airborne, and in situ assets to better understand our changing planet,” said CSDA Project Manager Dana Ostrenga. “The commercial providers added through this latest CSDA contract on-ramp complement NASA’s existing Earth observation capabilities and our current portfolio of commercial partners, expanding the range of data available for evaluation and use. Together, these observations provide researchers with a more comprehensive view of Earth’s atmosphere, land, oceans, cryosphere, and solid Earth, helping advance scientific discovery and applications that benefit our communities.”

Following issuance of the contract awards, the selected vendors’ data products will be made available to authorized CSDA data users via the Satellite Data Explorer (SDX), CSDA’s web-based data discovery and data access tool that allows approved users to search, discover, access, task, and download the data the program has acquired from its commercial partners.

The Vendor Selection Process

The award process begins with the CSDA issuing a request for proposals that is posted on Sam.gov, the U.S. government’s official system for managing federal contract proposals. Interested companies then submit proposals to enter into an IDIQ contract with CSDA. A Solicitation Evaluation Board is formed to determine whether the proposals are competitive and meet the CSDA’s technical requirements for continuous observations, orbit platforms, and data that aligns with NASA Earth Science Division (ESD) goals. The CSDA makes its selections from the proposals that meet the requirements and then submits them to NASA leadership for approval. Once approved, the contracts are then awarded and the companies are able to get their data evaluated by CSDA. Once the evaluations are complete, the commercial data providers can then compete for competitive task orders through CSDA.

About the CSDA Program

NASA’s Earth Science Division (ESD) established the CSDA Program as the agency’s central mechanism for identifying, acquiring, and evaluating commercial Earth observation (EO) data. The program augments NASA’s and partner agencies’ Earth-observing capabilities by acquiring commercial satellite data that offer higher spatial resolution, increased revisit frequency, complementary measurement capabilities, and taskable observations. To learn more about the program, its commercial partners, data evaluation process, and more, visit the CSDA website.

Become an Authorized Data User

Commercial data discoverable through the SDX is made available to CSDA authorized data users. To become an authorized user, fill out the CSDA Program Data Authorization Form. Note: Use of SDX also requires an Earthdata Login.

58th Girl Scouts Unite Event

2026-06-23 18:51

58th Girl Scouts Unite Event, July 23-25, 2026

Join NASA in the Exhibit Hall (Booth #206) for Hyperwall Storytelling by NASA experts. Full Hyperwall Agenda below.

Thursday, July 23

11:00AM – 11:15 AM	From Daisy to NASA Engineer	Barbara Hilton
11:15AM – 11:30 AM	Exploring Mars, The Planet Next Door	Lindsay Hays
11:30AM – 11:45 AM	Get Ready With Me: Going to the Moon	Naoma McCall
11:45Am – 12:00 PM	NASA Is for Everyone! (talk about careers at NASA beyond science and engineering)	Amy Kaminski
12:00PM – 12:15 PM	Finding Asteroids Before They Find Us: Planetary Defense at NASA	Kelly Fast

2:15 PM – 2:30 PM	How to Nerd Your Way Into Science Communications	Karen Romano Young
2:30 PM – 2:45 PM	Earth: Exploring our home planet is a team effort	Lesley Ott
2:45 PM – 3:00 PM	TBD	Jenny Mottar
3:00 PM – 3:15 PM	The Journey Starts HERE: One CREW, Your HOME, Our MISSION	Kaitlin Harbeck
3:15 PM – 3:30PM	TBD – Artemis Overview	Dominique Brewer

3:45 PM – 4:00 PM

Social Media… For Science!

Sofie Bates

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2026 ALA Hyperwall Schedule

2026-06-23 16:23

2 min read

2026 ALA Hyperwall Schedule

American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference, June 25-29, 2026

Join NASA in the Exhibit Hall (Booth #2243) for Hyperwall Storytelling by NASA experts. Full Hyperwall Agenda below.

FRIDAY, JUNE 26

5:45 PM ——Roman Space Telescope Quiz! —— Peter Sooy
6:00 PM ——NASA’s Next Flagship is Launching Soon! Share in the Excitement with Roman Community Events —— Martha Irene Saladino
6:15 PM ——Open Science Resources for Libraries ——Amanda Adams
6:30 PM ——Launching NASA Earth Science Exhibits in Libraries Across America ——Eleanor Stokes
6:45 PM ——NASA Citizen Science Projects——Sarah Kirn

SATURDAY, JUNE 27

10:00 AM——Heliophysics Jeopardy!——Erin Mahoney
10:15 AM——NASA’s Next Flagship is Launching Soon! Share in the Excitement with Roman Community Events——Martha Irene Saladino
10:30 AM——Nancy Grace Roman: The Person——Courtney Lee
10:45 AM——Cosmic Canvas: Exploring the Process of Science Through Art and Astronomy——Tim Rhue
12:30 PM——Roman Space Telescope Quiz! —— Peter Sooy
1:00 PM——“Our Friend Orion” Children’s Book Reading——Lane Polak
2:30 PM——Heliophysics Jeopardy!——Erin Mahoney
3:00 PM——”The Adventure of Echo the Bat” Book Reading——Ginger Butcher
3:30 PM——Bring a NASA Solar System Ambassador to YOUR Library!——Danielle Diamond
3:45 PM——Journey Through the Heliosphere: The Sun-Earth System in Color——Christine Milotte

SUNDAY, JUNE 28

10:00 AM——Webb Space Telescope Quiz!——Peter Sooy
10:15 AM——Journey Through the Heliosphere: The Sun-Earth System in Color——Christine Milottet
10:30 AM——Science Explorer (SciX) Demo——Daniel Chivvis
10:45 AM——NASA Data and Open Science Quiz!——Adam Farragut
12:30 PM——Heliophysics Jeopardy!——Erin Mahoney
1:00 PM——“There and Back with EGS” Children’s Book Reading——Lane Polak
2:30 PM——Real NASA Research Projects Open to Everyone——Sarah Kirn
3:00 PM——Cosmic Canvas: Exploring the Process of Science Through Art and Astronomy——Tim Rhue
3:30 PM——NASA’s Next Flagship is Launching Soon! Share in the Excitement with Roman Community Events—— Martha Irene Saladino
3:45 PM——Journey Through the Heliosphere: The Sun-Earth System in Color——Milotte

MONDAY, JUNE 29

9:45 AM——Webb Space Telescope Quiz!——Peter Sooy
10:00 AM——“Hooray for SLS” Children’s——Lane Polak
10:30 AM——Bring a NASA Solar System Ambassador to YOUR Library!——Mark Benson

This is How NASA Flight Tests New Technology

2026-06-23 16:00

3 Min Read

This is How NASA Flight Tests New Technology

A white and blue painted jet aircraft flies above a tan lakebed with the gear and wheels out. A model wing hangs below the aircraft’s center line. The cockpit is closed and two pilots are visible inside with flight gear on.

An F-15 aircraft flies above the world’s largest compass rose above NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Monday, April 20, 2026. NASA’s Crossflow Attenuated Natural Laminar Flow (CATNLF) test article is attached to the bottom of the F-15. The project aims to lower fuel costs for future commercial aircraft by testing a scale-model wing designed to improve laminar flow.

Credits: NASA/Jim Ross

Flight tests are a big part of how NASA turns breakthrough ideas into reality. From flying humans faster than the speed of sound to proving designs that helped shape the space shuttle, flight testing transforms bold concepts into safer, more efficient technologies that benefit the public.

“Flight tests are a way to safely and effectively prove new technology, which helps certification authorities certify equipment,” said Wayne Ringelberg, chief pilot at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. “It helps industry iterate and make systems better, and it promotes research in areas where new ideas can be developed.”

For nearly 80 years, teams at NASA Armstrong have used flight testing in the Southern California desert to push the limits of aerodynamics and advance aviation. Thanks to that work, NASA-developed innovations are aboard every U.S. commercial aircraft and inside every control tower today.

“The space side of NASA uses flight test, too. Every mission, like Artemis II, is never routine,” Ringelberg said. “Everything we’re doing when flying a test mission is something new or different.”

Two men, wearing tan flight suits and green flight gear, walk on a concrete surface away from a building in the background. The man on the left looks at the man on the right as he is moving his left hand in the air. This same man is carrying a bag with flight gear in his right hand.

NASA test pilots Jim Less, left, and Nils Larson walk away from a hangar at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Thursday, Feb. 4, 2026. The pilots support the agency’s Crossflow Attenuated Natural Laminar Flow (CATNLF) project, which aims to lower fuel costs for future commercial aircraft by testing a scale-model wing designed to improve laminar flow.

NASA/Christopher LC Clark

Every NASA test flight — whether it’s studying new software, hardware, or the revolutionary technology of an experimental X-plane — relies on engineers, researchers, pilots, maintenance crew, control room operators, and many others working together.

“Experienced operators and engineers evaluate how things work in flight,” Ringelberg said. “Most new technologies are designed to work in a lab or can be tested in a wind tunnel or other facility, but you never really know how they’ll perform until you fly them.”

Preflight tests often include computer analysis, simulation, wind tunnel testing, and ground tests focused on an aircraft’s ability to withstand the forces of flight and the environments through which it may fly. After hardware or software is deemed safe to fly, researchers turn the mission over to the flight test team.

To support testing, NASA Armstrong maintains an aircraft fleet modified to create space for new hardware or instruments, as well as the ability to integrate new software. These aircraft are flying laboratories, and pilots are trained to accomplish experimental missions.

A white and blue painted jet aircraft sits on a concrete surface. The canopy of the aircraft is open, and two pilots sit inside wearing flight gear. The tail of a second jet aircraft is seen to the right of the image, and a desert landscape is seen in the background.

An F-15 research aircraft sits on the ramp at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. NASA pilots Jim Less, front seat, and Carrie Worth prepare for the flight. The agency’s Crossflow Attenuated Natural Laminar Flow (CATNLF) test article is attached to the bottom of the F-15. The project aims to lower fuel costs for future commercial aircraft by testing a scale-model wing designed to improve laminar flow.

NASA/Carla Escamilla

For example, flight testing recently helped NASA gather critical data on laminar flow, or the smooth flow of air, over a wing. The work could lower fuel costs for future airliners. Computer modeling, wind tunnel tests, and other methods helped advance the research, but to find out even more about how the wing concept could reduce drag for future airliners, NASA used a scale model in actual flight.

NASA researchers strapped the Crossflow Attenuated Natural Laminar Flow (CATNLF) model wing to the belly of one of NASA Armstrong’s F-15s. The arrangement allowed them to collect all the information they would need without doing the extensive, costly modifications required to install a full-scale wing on an aircraft.

After a flight series is complete, engineers and researchers analyze the data. Did the instrument work as designed? Did the experimental aircraft perform safely at a high altitude? Did the software operate as planned? Each test raises its own set of questions to evaluate.

NASA continues working with academia, the Department of War, and industry partners to advance U.S. aviation through flight test and bring new benefits to the flying public.