Nelson Pedreiro, formerly chief engineer for strategic and missile defense systems at Lockheed Martin‘s (NYSE: LMT) space systems business, has been named head of the company’s Palo Alto, California-based advanced technology center, SpaceNews reported Wednesday.
He will succeed Scott Fouse in the role and lead approximately 600 technicians and scientists at ATC.
ATC is Lockheed’s space research organization that invests in space technology platforms designed for military, civil and commercial clients.
Pedreiro told SpaceNews in an interview the company is investing money in efforts to build detection, classification, discrimination and targeting sensors.
He said he believes autonomous technology has the potential to aid deep space programs and that the government-funded Segmented Planar Imaging Detector for Electro-Optical Reconnaissance project creates a path for industry to develop lightweight optical instruments.
His previous roles at Lockheed include director of science and technology for space systems segment, senior manager for control systems technology and research scientist principal.
