SUNNYVALE, Calif., March 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- From its
final orbit location 22,000 miles above the equator, the third
Lockheed Martin-built (NYSE: LMT) Space Based Infrared System
(SBIRS) satellite recently sent its first images back down to
Earth, a milestone known as "first light."
The satellite was launched on Jan.
20 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket and is the
third in a series of Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites
that the U.S. Air Force uses to provide faster and more accurate
missile warning data to the nation and its allies. The satellite
reached orbit, where it successfully completed deployments of its
sun-tracking solar arrays, antenna wing assemblies and light
shade.
"With the satellite successfully on orbit, we are now working to
ensure GEO Flight 3 continues the outstanding performance trends
demonstrated by its predecessors, including better-than-specified
sensor pointing accuracy and the ability to detect dimmer targets
than expected," said David Sheridan,
vice president of Lockheed Martin's Overhead Persistent Infrared
systems mission area.
The constellation is operated by the next-generation SBIRS
ground station at Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado. GEO Flight 4, the next satellite in
the series, will undergo final assembly, integration and test at
Lockheed Martin's satellite production facility in Sunnyvale, California, prior to its launch
planned for later this year.
The team is also working to modernize the fifth and sixth SBIRS
satellites under a no-cost contract modification for the U.S. Air
Force. Using a common, modernized A2100 spacecraft bus, the new
design allows for a configurable payload module that can
incorporate future sensor suites. The design will also save costs
on production through a streamlined process, which enables
concurrent testing of the satellite bus and payload.
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
97,000 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