CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.,
Jan. 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/
-- The U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) will
launch the next Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) satellite on
Jan. 19 aboard a United Launch
Alliance Atlas V rocket. The launch window is between 7:46 and 8:26 p.m. EST.
SBIRS GEO Flight 3 was designed and built at Lockheed Martin in
Sunnyvale, California, as the next
in a series of Air Force satellites that provide multi-mission
surveillance in the areas of missile warning, missile defense,
technical intelligence and battlespace awareness. The data provided
by SBIRS can also be applied to a number of qualified government
and civilian applications, including first response for natural
disasters and firefighting.
Watch Live: A live launch broadcast will begin at 7:26 p.m. EST and will be viewable at
www.ulalaunch.com. Downloadable images and video b-roll of the
satellite are available at www.lockheedmartin.com/sbirs.
"At Lockheed Martin, we understand the Air Force's important
mission to protect our nation and allies around the world, as well
as the critical role that SBIRS plays in their continued ability to
respond to evolving threats," said David
Sheridan, vice president of Lockheed Martin's Overhead
Persistent Infrared systems mission area. "With the launch of GEO
Flight 3, we are proud to further enhance SBIRS infrared
surveillance capabilities, and we look forward to working with our
customer and industry teammates toward 100 percent mission
success."
Once it reaches Geosynchronous Earth Orbit—around 22,000 miles
above the Earth—GEO Flight 3 will use powerful sensors and cameras
to detect and track infrared events, such as missile launches or
other heat-causing events. While some satellites can only "see"
what is directly below them, the SBIRS constellation has a view of
the whole world, scanning for wide-area surveillance and staring at
spots of interest.
With each satellite build, Lockheed Martin has continued to
streamline its manufacturing process and increase efficiencies,
while also introducing innovations that will keep SBIRS relevant
long into the future. The next satellite, GEO Flight 4, will
undergo final assembly, integration and test prior to its planned
2017 launch. SBIRS GEO-5 and GEO-6, which are currently in
production, incorporate a new common spacecraft bus, Lockheed
Martin's modernized A2100, which dramatically reduces costs and
cycle times while increasing the potential to incorporate future
advanced sensor suites.
The SBIRS development team is led by the Remote Sensing Systems
Directorate at the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center,
Los Angeles Air Force Base,
California. Lockheed Martin Space
Systems, Sunnyvale, California, is
the SBIRS prime contractor, with Northrop Grumman Aerospace
Systems, Azusa, California, as the
payload integrator. The 460th Space Wing, Buckley Air Force Base,
Colorado, operates the SBIRS
system.
About Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in Bethesda,
Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace
company that employs approximately 98,000 people worldwide and is
principally engaged in the research, design, development,
manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology
systems, products and services.
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SOURCE Lockheed Martin