Rocket Lab to Supply Solar Power for United States Space Force’s New Missile Warning Satellites
July 27 2022 - 4:15PM
Business Wire
The solar cell assemblies will power three Lockheed Martin
spacecraft designed to provide resilient space-based global missile
warning capabilities to meet evolving threats from adversaries
under the United States Space Force’s Next Generation Overhead
Persistent Infrared (Next Gen OPIR) Geosynchronous Earth Orbit
(GEO) program
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab” or “the
Company”), a leading launch and space systems company, announced
that its high-efficiency, radiation-hardened Coverglass
Interconnected solar Cell (CIC) assemblies will power the three
Lockheed Martin Next Gen OPIR GEO (NGG) satellites for the United
States Space Force (USSF). The NGG program will deliver resilient
global missile warning capabilities to counter emerging missile and
counter-space threats and is part of the latest evolution of the
USSF’s missile warning system, following the Space Based Infrared
System (SBIRS) program, which was supported by SolAero, a space
solar power company acquired by Rocket Lab in January 2022.
“We are excited to continue our long-term partnership with
Lockheed Martin by powering the Next Gen OPIR GEO satellites,” said
Brad Clevenger, Rocket Lab’s Vice President & General Manager,
Space Systems Power Solutions. “These satellites are critical to
the mission needs of the United States Space Force and our national
security, and we are proud to be supporting their production on an
aggressive schedule.”
Rocket Lab’s CICs will be integrated into the solar panels and
arrays on the Lockheed Martin-designed and built spacecraft. The
spacecraft recently successfully passed critical design review, a
major milestone in becoming certified for space. The first of the
three satellites is scheduled to launch in 2025.
Founded in 1998 and acquired by Rocket Lab in January 2022,
Albuquerque, New Mexico-based SolAero has produced solar cells,
solar panels, and composite structural products for more than 1,000
successful space missions with 100% reliability. Over the past two
decades, SolAero’s products have played key roles in some of the
industry’s most ambitious space missions, including supplying power
to NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, James Webb Space Telescope, and Mars
Insight Lander, as well as several Cygnus Cargo Resupply Missions
to the International Space Station.
+ ABOUT Rocket Lab
Founded in 2006, Rocket Lab is an end-to-end space company with
an established track record of mission success. We deliver reliable
launch services, spacecraft components, satellites and other
spacecraft and on-orbit management solutions that make it faster,
easier and more affordable to access space. Headquartered in Long
Beach, California, Rocket Lab designs and manufactures the Electron
small orbital launch vehicle and the Photon satellite platform and
is developing the Neutron 8-ton payload class launch vehicle. Since
its first orbital launch in January 2018, Rocket Lab’s Electron
launch vehicle has become the second most frequently launched U.S.
rocket annually and has delivered 148 satellites to orbit for
private and public sector organizations, enabling operations in
national security, scientific research, space debris mitigation,
Earth observation, climate monitoring, and communications. Rocket
Lab’s Photon spacecraft platform has been selected to support NASA
missions to the Moon and Mars, as well as the first private
commercial mission to Venus. Rocket Lab has three launch pads at
two launch sites, including two launch pads at a private orbital
launch site located in New Zealand, and a second launch site in
Virginia, USA which is expected to become operational in 2022. To
learn more, visit www.rocketlabusa.com.
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+ Rocket Lab Media Contact Michael Atchue
m.atchue@rocketlabusa.com +1 714-613-2072
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