Lockheed Martin has won a lucrative deal where the company will be receiving $1 billion to operate and maintain ground control systems of the Space Based Infrared System or SBIRS ground control centers.
The announcement was made by the US Space Force on June 4. SBIRS is a part of the DOD missile warning network that is capable of detecting ballistic missile launches.
New network for missile warning
The system packs 2 infrared sensors packed in a highly elliptical orbit and 5 satellites in geosynchronous orbit. Lockheed Martin has been taking contracts for SBIRS for almost 3 decades. The 5th satellite for the system took flight on May 18, while the last satellite is in the works and might take off in 2022.
The new deal is a 5-year sole-source contract that involves operating and maintaining of the SBIRS mission control center located at the Buckley Air Force Base in Colorado.
The network also includes operation centers at Peterson Air Force Base and Greeley Air National Guard station. As per officials from the firm, the contract also includes logistics support for existing ground systems and upgrades required to put last 2 satellites in their orbit.
Lockheed Martin’s ambitious roadmap
The Space Force has plans to move to a new network of missile warning satellites. The new system will be known as Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared and a new ground control called Future Operationally Resilient campground Evolution will be put in place.
Lockheed Martin will be producing three Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared geosynchronous satellites. The first of trio will be launched in 2025. The new contract money will be used to maintain and sustain infrastructure for the Future Operationally Resilient Ground Evolution ground control systems.
Besides, Lockheed Martin and General Motors have come together to produce an autonomous electric vehicle that can carry astronauts on the Moon and travel across the lunar regions. The two major have plans to make vehicles that enable astronauts to travel to far away distances on the lunar surface. The announcement falls in line with NASA’s plans to collaborate with private companies to develop landers and rovers for missions on the Moon.
