Rick Ambrose: Lockheed to Build Commercial Payload to Support Space Situational Awareness

Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) has received a contract from an undisclosed commercial customer to build and deliver a payload meant to ensure space domain awareness, Rick Ambrose, executive vice president of the company’s space business and a 2021 Wash100 Award recipient, said in a LinkedIn post.

The optical sensor-equipped payload will be used for object detection and image capture from geosynchronous Earth orbit in support of efforts to maintain space situational awareness.

According to Ambrose, the company expects to make delivery within 22 months following the SDA payload contract award. The sensor will be hosted on a GEO spacecraft.

“This delivery represents the first of a capability that is available to support both commercial and government interests in hosting SDA sensors,” said Ambrose.

The SDA initiative seeks to strengthen on-orbit asset protection by ensuring awareness of activities in the space domain.

The Potomac Officers Club will host the 2021 Industrial Space Defense Summit on March 23 to discuss federal space defense capabilities. It will include an expert panel that will tackle how the Department of Defense leverages the commercialization of space. To register for the summit, visit the POC Events Page.

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