Sep 03, 2009, post by Satellite News
With a unanimous vote by NASA’s Constellation and Orion Project managers, the Lockheed Martin-led industry team building the Orion crew exploration vehicle successfully passed a significant milestone in the new spacecraft’s development phase – the preliminary design review (PDR).
Successful completion of the PDR stage allows the team to enter Orion’s critical design review (CDR) phase, a vital milestone that must be met before hardware production begins. During the review process, detailed components and subsystems of the vehicle design are assessed to ensure the overall system will meet all NASA requirements for safe and reliable flight.
“We were very pleased with the positive feedback we received from NASA leadership, particularly in regards to the tremendous progress we have made in crew and vehicle safety enhancements and our manufacturing preparedness,” claimed Cleon Lacefield, Lockheed Martin vice president and Orion program manager. “As we move from PDR to CDR, we will continue to enhance the vehicle’s safety and life support system designs to ensure we move forward to build the safest and most reliable spacecraft possible.”
Other significant milestones the Orion program achieved this year included renovation and certification of the Operations & Checkout Facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Orion ground test article fabrication at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, final delivery of the launch abort system’s abort and jettison motors, and a series of component and subsystem tests at facilities across the country.
The next major milestone will be the inaugural flight test for Orion’s launch abort system, called Pad Abort 1, which will take place at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico early next year. Several flight tests are scheduled over the next few years, leading up to Orion’s first crewed flight to the International Space Station in 2015.
As the prime contractor to NASA for the Orion Project, Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is responsible for designing and building this state-of-the-art spacecraft that will have more flexible space exploration capability than any previous human space flight vehicle. The Orion spacecraft will be the flagship of the Constellation Program’s plan to return humans to the moon and prepare for future voyages to other destinations in our solar system.
The Lockheed Martin Orion Project office is based in Houston, Texas, near NASA’s Johnson Space Center. The team includes major subcontractors Aerojet, Alliant Techsystems (ATK), Hamilton Sundstrand, Honeywell, Orbital Sciences Corporation and United Space Alliance; and a network of 60 minor subcontractors and small businesses in 22 states across the country.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2008 sales of $42.7 billion.
Jul 17, 2009, post by Artur Ślesik
Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) , in a joint venture with Granite State Manufacturing (GSM), received a $6.9 million contract from the U.S. Navy to design, test and manufacture an upgraded Multifunction Mast Antenna System to improve submarine communications.
Currently, all U.S. Navy submarines operating at periscope depth, including the new Virginia-class attack submarines, use the antenna system as their primary method to communicate with aircraft, surface ships and land-based assets. The system – designated the OE-538 – provides high performance, erectable mast-mounted communication and navigation capabilities.
The upgraded OE-538/BRC Multifunction Mast Antenna System will provide submarine communications with improved performance in the UHF signal band. It also will add LINK 16, Iridium and Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) UHF satellite communications capabilities, while maintaining performance in legacy bands. Lockheed Martin expects to upgrade and return to the fleet at least 12 systems per year over six years. If all options are exercised, the cumulative value of the contract is estimated at $57.6 million.
“Lockheed Martin has provided more than 90 OE-538 systems for the U.S. and allied navies since 1989,” said Joe Rappisi, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin’s Marion-based business. “This upgrade ensures compatibility with new satellites and evolving communication systems to ensure that submarine forces will remain connected to the global information grid.”
GSM, of Manchester, NH, is a highly specialized organization, combining value engineering, program management and in-house state of the art production facilities. GSM offers a full range of manufacturing services including precision machining, metal fabrication, welding, soldering, mechanical assembly, electrical assembly and testing.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 146,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2008 sales of $42.7 billion.
Jul 15, 2009, post by Artur Ślesik
Lockheed Martin and Granite State Manufacturing (GSM) received a $6.9 million contract from the U.S. Navy to design, test and manufacture an upgraded submarine mast antenna system that will provide vessels with improved UHF-band satellite communications, Lockheed Martin announced July 15.
The mast antenna will add Link 16, Iridium and Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) UHF satellite communications capabilities while maintaining performance in legacy bands. “This upgrade ensures compatibility with new satellites and evolving communication systems to ensure that submarine forces will remain connected to the global information grid,” Lockheed Martin Vice President Joe Rappisi said in a statement.
The design award is part of a larger Navy system contract with a cumulative value of $57.6 million, if all options are exercised. Lockheed Martin and GSM said they expect to upgrade at least 12 submarine systems per year over six years.
