DENVER,
Sept. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The
Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] team developing the U.S. Air Force's
next generation Global Positioning System III satellites has
delivered the first spacecraft's propulsion core module to the
company's Denver-area GPS
Processing Facility (GPF). The milestone represents the program's
first major hardware delivery for GPS III Space Vehicle 1 and
highlights the satellite's initial Assembly, Integration and Test
activities in the GPF.
The propulsion core contains the integrated propulsion
system and serves as the structural backbone of the satellite.
Developed and tested at Lockheed Martin's Mississippi Space &
Technology Center, the propulsion subsystem is essential for
maneuvering the GPS III satellite during transfer orbit to its
final location as well as conducting on-orbit repositioning
maneuvers throughout its mission life.
"The delivery of the propulsion core demonstrates that
this program is on firm footing and poised to deliver on its
commitments," said Lt Col Todd
Caldwell, the U.S. Air Force's GPS III program
manager. "In this challenging budget environment, we
are focused on efficient program execution to deliver critical new
capabilities to GPS users worldwide."
The propulsion system benefits from a Lockheed Martin
initiative to improve the manufacturability of GPS III. The
activity simplified plumbing routing and reduced welds by 25
percent compared to similar spacecraft, which results
in significantly reduced cycle time and cost for
all GPS III production satellites.
To reduce risk and overall program costs for the
government, the team is first fielding a full-sized satellite
prototype, known as the GPS III Non-Flight Satellite Testbed
(GNST). The approach is used to identify and solve development
issues prior to integration and test of the first GPS III
satellite.
"Building on the lessons learned from our GNST pathfinder, we
expect to execute a very smooth and efficient assembly, integration
and test phase for the first GPS III satellite," said Keoki Jackson, vice president of Lockheed
Martin's Navigation Systems mission area. "We are on track to
deliver the first satellite for launch availability in 2014, and as
we complete production pathfinding on the GNST and move into full
scale satellite production, we expect to streamline our processes
further, reduce risk, lower per unit costs and ensure mission
success."
The GPS III program will affordably replace aging GPS
satellites while improving capability to meet the evolving demands
of military, commercial and civilian users. GPS III satellites will
deliver better accuracy and improved anti-jamming power while
enhancing the spacecraft's design life and adding a new civil
signal designed to be interoperable with international global
navigation satellite systems.
In 2008, Lockheed Martin was awarded the contract for the
design, development and production of the GNST and the first two
GPS III satellites, with priced options for up to 10 additional
satellites. In early 2012, the Air Force exercised a $238
million option for production of the next two satellites, GPS
III space vehicles three and four. The Air Force plans to purchase
up to 32 GPS III satellites.
The GPS III team is led by the Global
Positioning Systems Directorate at the U.S. Air Force
Space and Missile Systems Center. Lockheed Martin is the GPS III
prime contractor with teammates ITT Exelis, General Dynamics,
Infinity Systems Engineering, Honeywell, ATK and other
subcontractors. Air Force Space Command's 2nd Space
Operations Squadron (2SOPS), based at Schriever Air
Force Base, Colo., manages and operates the GPS constellation for
both civil and military users.
Headquartered in Bethesda,
Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace
company that employs about 120,000 people worldwide and is
principally engaged in the research, design, development,
manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology
systems, products and services. The corporation's net sales for
2011 were $46.5 billion.
Media Contact:
Michael Friedman
303-971-7255
michael.1.friedman@lmco.com
Dani Hauf
303-564-3151
danielle.m.hauf@lmco.com
SOURCE Lockheed Martin