Lockheed Martin expected to launch new demonstration satellite this weekend
Lockheed Martin expects its mid-size demonstration satellite will launch on Saturday on a Firefly Aerospace Alpha rocket.
The company designed and built the satellite at its Waterton campus, in southwest Metro Denver, and this model is expected to be a good fit for many new constellations planned by the military and others. While it was self-funded by the company, it is already under contract, said Ben Szpak, Ignite program manager for the satellite.
It’s “arguably the company’s most flexible, customizable space vehicle,” he said in a written response to Gazette questions. The refrigerator-sized satellite is expected to be used for missions such as remote sensing, communications, imaging and radar. It could also operate in various orbits from low Earth orbit to geosynchronous. Low Earth orbit extends to 1,200 miles and geosynchronous orbit extends to 22,236 miles.
The company’s investment in a new satellite coincides with large expected investments in space across the industry.
The number of satellites in space is set to grow by tens of thousands in the coming years, with one estimate from Goldman Sachs Research anticipating 70,000 new low Earth satellites going up in the next five years.
The military is seeking to add satellites partially to reduce the likelihood of an attack in space. Sending up hundreds of satellites ensures that an individual satellite would not provide an attractive target.
“As the need for greater resiliency and proliferated architectures grow, we’ve made a critical investment in this LM 400 technology demonstration to design and illustrate timely and relevant capabilities on-orbit for our customers,” explained Jeff Schrader, vice president of Strategy and Business Development for Lockheed Martin Space, in a news release.
The new model of satellite will be made at the $350 million Gateway Center in Waterton. Lockheed Martin has not made the details of its contracts for the LM 400 public.
Firefly Aerospace is expected to start a livestream of the launch on YouTube about 30 minutes before the launch window opens at 7:25 a.m.
