TITUSVILLE, Fla., July 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed
Martin [NYSE: LMT] opened its Spacecraft Test, Assembly and
Resource (STAR) Center today. The STAR Center features business and
digital transformation innovations that will expand manufacturing,
assembly and testing capacity for NASA's Orion spacecraft program
and ultimately, future space exploration.
"The STAR Center is a spacecraft factory of the future"
Lockheed Martin currently assembles the Orion spacecraft for the
Artemis I and II Moon missions at the nearby Neil Armstrong
Operations and Checkout (O&C) building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The addition of the STAR
Center provides much-needed space for the new production phase of
Orion, allowing future Orion spacecraft – starting with the Artemis
III mission – to be built faster.
"The STAR Center is a spacecraft factory of the future and is
the centerpiece of our commitment to build sustainable and
affordable capabilities for NASA to send astronauts to explore the
Moon and eventually Mars," said Lisa
Callahan, Commercial Civil Space vice president and general
manager at Lockheed Martin Space. "We are using advanced
manufacturing capabilities and digital-first technologies to speed
production and improve quality to get Orion from factory to space
faster than ever before."
Lockheed Martin acquired the building that formerly housed the
Astronaut Training Experience attraction and spent 18 months and
nearly $20 million renovating and
modernizing the 55,000 square-foot space into a
digitally-transformed factory of the future.
Digital Transformation Means Efficiencies
The STAR Center showcases Lockheed Martin's ability to implement
the latest digital transformation technologies, along with the
company's existing production expertise, to scale Orion production
and deliver spacecraft faster than ever before.
Those include integrating the STAR Center into Lockheed Martin's
Intelligent Factory Framework (IFF), an edge computing platform
that secures, scales and standardizes device connectivity through
various IT platforms. This digital-first approach streamlines
production and maximizes agility by connecting devices virtually.
Lockheed Martin has already deployed IFF to seven locations and is
scaling across the entire company.
In addition, more than 30 machines at the STAR center will be
connected to this IFF, as well as machines at NASA's O&C,
giving all production team members at both facilities real-time
access to valuable data. The center also employs remote access,
monitoring and alerting technologies for equipment, plus smart
tools such as virtual reality and augmented reality.
Room to Grow
Under Lockheed Martin's production contract with NASA, the
agency has committed to order Orion vehicles for six missions, with
the potential to add another six through 2030.
Elements of the spacecraft that take large amounts of floor
space and that are built and tested outside the normal spacecraft
assembly flow will be moved to the STAR Center. This gives
production teams more room at the O&C facility to assemble and
test more Orion spacecraft simultaneously and quicker.
Production activities include:
- Assembly and test of Orion aeroshell heat shield and backshell
panels, including thermal protection system installation
- Crew module and crew module adapter wire harness fabrication
and testing
- Propulsion and environmental control and life support systems
assembly and testing
- Electrical ground support equipment production
For more information on the STAR Center:
https://lockheedmartin.com/en-us/news/features/2021/star-center-transforms-orion-production.html
About Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin
Corporation is a global security and aerospace company that employs
approximately 114,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged
in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and
sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and
services.
Please follow @LMNews on Twitter for the latest
announcements and news across the corporation.
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SOURCE Lockheed Martin