With Industry Onboard, National Defense Space Architecture Ready to Take Shape

WASHINGTON (SDA PR) — The Space Development Agency (SDA) today announced the awards of three prototype agreements worth approximately $1.8 billion to establish the foundation for Tranche 1 Transport Layer (T1TL), a mesh network of 126 optically-interconnected space vehicles (SV) that will provide a resilient, low-latency, high-volume data transport communication system, and be ready for launch starting in September 2024. 

WASHINGTON (NASA PR) — NASA will provide coverage of the prelaunch and launch activities of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) next weather observing and environmental monitoring system satellite. Currently known as GOES-T, this is the third satellite in NOAA’s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) – R series.

GOES-T is scheduled to launch at 4:38 p.m. EST Tuesday, March 1, on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. There is a two-hour launch window.

CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION, Fla. (NOAA PR) — NOAA’s GOES-T, the third in the GOES-R Series of advanced weather observing and environmental monitoring satellites, arrived in Florida on November 10, 2021, to begin final preparations for launch.

DENVER, Feb. 15, 2022 (Lockheed Martin PR) – Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] was awarded three NASA contracts for key elements of the agency’s visionary Mars Sample Return program.

The first contract is for the cruise stage that will power and steer the Mars-bound journey of the lander that retrieves Martian rock and soil samples from the Perseverance Rover. For this $35 million award from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California (JPL), Lockheed Martin will produce the cruise stage and its comprehensive elements, including the solar arrays, structure, propulsion and thermal properties.

Aerojet Rocketdyne Positioned to Continue Driving Growth, Profitability and Value Creation EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Feb. 13, 2022 (Aerojet Rocketdyne PR) — Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AJRD) (the “Company”) today reaffirmed its strong foundation for substantial value creation following the termination of its merger agreement with Lockheed Martin Corporation. The Company issued the following statement: We are poised to deliver substantial value to our shareholders driven by our continued leadership […]

BETHESDA, Md., Feb. 13, 2022 (Lockheed Martin PR) — Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT) today announced it has terminated its agreement to acquire Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AJRD). The decision to terminate the agreement follows the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) lawsuit filed late last month seeking a preliminary injunction to block the acquisition.

“Our planned acquisition of Aerojet Rocketdyne would have benefitted the entire industry through greater efficiency, speed, and significant cost reductions for the U.S. government,” said Lockheed Martin Chairman, President and CEO James Taiclet. “However, we determined that in light of the FTC’s actions, terminating the transaction is in the best interest of our stakeholders. We stand by our long heritage as a merchant supplier and trusted partner and will continue to support Aerojet Rocketdyne and other essential suppliers in the Defense Industrial Base still overcoming the challenges of the pandemic.

WASHINGTON (NASA PR) — NASA has selected two science missions – the Multi-slit Solar Explorer (MUSE) and HelioSwarm – to help improve our understanding of the dynamics of the Sun, the Sun-Earth connection, and the constantly changing space environment. These missions will provide deeper insights into our universe and offer critical information to help protect astronauts, satellites, and communications signals such as GPS. 

WASHINGTON (NASA PR) — NASA has awarded three contracts under the on-ramp feature of the Rapid Spacecraft Acquisition IV (Rapid IV) contract. These multi-agency contracts are available to support all NASA centers and other federal agencies.

The awardees are:

• Lockheed Martin Corporation, Lockheed Martin Space, Littleton, Colorado
• QinetiQ Space NV, Kruibeke, Belgium
• Space Flight Laboratory, University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies, Toronto, Canada

Sensor payload design for missile warning system tested for space survivability

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. Feb. 9, 2022 (Raytheon Intelligence & Space PR) – Raytheon Intelligence & Space has completed Thermal Vacuum Testing of its sensor payload for the U.S. Space Force’s Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared, or Next-Gen OPIR GEO, Block 0 missile warning satellites designed and built by spacecraft prime contractor Lockheed Martin. Testing was completed on Jan. 27, 2022.

PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. (Space Operations Command PR) – Space Operations Command has accepted Space Based Infrared System Geosynchronous satellite 5 as operationally capable and has presented it to United States Space Command for operational use.