Latest news with #LockheedMartinSpace
Fox News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Space-based missile-killing Golden Dome tech aims for crucial test before Trump leaves office: Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is designing a space-based missile interceptor and aims to test the technology for potential integration into President Donald Trump's "Golden Dome" defense shield within the next three years. The defense contractor revealed this week that it hopes to test a satellite defensive weapon capable of destroying hypersonic missiles by 2028. If successful, this would mark the first time in history the United States has deployed interceptors in space to destroy enemy missiles before they reach the homeland. Lockheed is still weighing different technologies, ranging from lasers to kinetic satellites that could maneuver and strike high-speed targets in flight. "We have missile warning and tracking satellites made by Lockheed Martin in orbit today that provide timely detection and warning of missile threats," said Amanda Pound, mission strategy and advanced capabilities director at Lockheed Martin Space, told Fox News Digital. "We are committed to making space-based interceptors for missile defense a reality, leveraging our decades of experience, investments, and industry partnerships, to be ready for on orbit testing in 2028." Lockheed's space interceptor project directly supports Trump's "Golden Dome for America" initiative, first unveiled in May 2025. The ambitious missile defense concept calls for a global constellation of satellites armed with sensors and interceptors, designed to detect, track and eliminate advanced missile threats – including hypersonic and ballistic weapons – before they can strike U.S. soil. The idea echoes President Ronald Reagan's 1983 Strategic Defense Initiative, often dubbed "Star Wars," which was dismissed at the time as science fiction. But today, the technologies once seen as far-fetched are rapidly advancing, according to defense leaders. Gen. Michael Guetlein, appointed by the Trump administration to head Golden Dome, emphasized that key components of the system already exist, expressing confidence in achieving a test-ready platform by 2028. Still, it's no easy feat. "Intercepting a missile in orbit is a pretty wicked hard problem physics‑wise," said Jeff Schrader, vice president of Lockheed's space division. "But not impossible," he added, noting breakthroughs in maneuverability and guidance systems. Analysts caution that to make the Golden Dome vision a reality, the U.S. may need to launch thousands of interceptors into orbit. Some have compared it to the Cold War–era "Brilliant Pebbles" program, which proposed a similar space-based missile shield but was eventually shelved due to skyrocketing costs and technical hurdles. Golden Dome is currently projected to cost $175 billion, with $25 billion already approved by Congress. But long-term estimates range anywhere from $161 billion to over $830 billion over two decades – raising questions about the program's affordability and long-term sustainability. Meanwhile, Lockheed is bolstering ground-based missile defense systems to complement the orbital layer. In March 2025, the company's Aegis Combat System aboard the USS Pinckney successfully simulated the interception of hypersonic medium-range missiles during the FTX-40 exercise, codenamed Stellar Banshee. The company is also advancing infrared seeker technology for interceptors, which would enhance the tracking and targeting of fast-moving missiles in their terminal phase. Lockheed remains a central player in the Pentagon's broader missile defense and hypersonic weapons development effort. It is the prime contractor for the Next Generation Interceptor (NGI), which is targeting an initial operating capability by the end of fiscal year 2028. Simultaneously, the company is fulfilling Navy contracts for its Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) hypersonic weapons system. Sea-based deployment of CPS is expected to begin between 2027 and 2028. President Trump has publicly stated he wants Golden Dome operational by the end of his term. But industry officials warn that supply chain limitations and the Pentagon's slow-moving procurement system make full deployment by 2029 unlikely.
UPI
6 days ago
- Science
- UPI
NASA's Lunar Trailblazer mission ends without mapping moon
NASA's Lunar Trailblazer sits in a clean room at Lockheed Martin Space in Colorado during testing in August 2024. The mission was to investigate the nature of the Moon's water, but controllers lost contact with the spacecraft a day after launch in February. Lockheed Martin photo via NASA Aug. 4 (UPI) -- NASA's Lunar Trailblazer mission to the moon ended in failure after the government agency lost contact with the spacecraft one day after the launch in February and never regained communication despite extensive efforts. The mission ended Friday, NASA said Monday in a news release. On Feb. 26, the satellite was part of the IM-2 mission by Intuitive Machines aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center. The spacecraft, built by Lockheed Martin Space, successfully separated from the rocket 38 minutes after launch. Another spacecraft, the Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment, touched down on the lunar surface on March 6 near the moon's south pole. But because the Athena lander was resting in its side inside a crater, the mission lasted only 10 hours instead of 10 days because it couldn't recharge its solar cells. The Lunard Trailblazer didn't make the 238,000-mile journey from Earth to the moon's surface. "At NASA, we undertake high-risk, high-reward missions like Lunar Trailblazer to find revolutionary ways of doing new science," Nicky Fox, associate administrator at NASA Headquarters in Washington, said. "While it was not the outcome we had hoped for, mission experiences like Lunar Trailblazer help us to learn and reduce the risk for future, low-cost small satellites to do innovative science as we prepare for a sustained human presence on the moon. Thank you to the Lunar Trailblazer team for their dedication in working on and learning from this mission through to the end." Limited data after the launch determined Lunar Trailblazer's solar arrays were not properly oriented toward the sun. The batteries then were depleted. NASA said several collaborating organizations worldwide listened for the spacecraft's radio signal and tracked its position. "As Lunar Trailblazer drifted far beyond the Moon, our models showed that the solar panels might receive more sunlight, perhaps charging the spacecraft's batteries to a point it could turn on its radio," Andrew Klesh, Lunar Trailblazer's project systems engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, said. "The global community's support helped us better understand the spacecraft's spin, pointing, and trajectory. In space exploration, collaboration is critical -- this gave us the best chance to try to regain contact." Based on ground radar and optical observations, the Lunar Trailblazer was in a slow spin going into deep space. The spacecraft became too distant and its signal would have been too weak even if it got energy. JPL built the satellites' high-resolution Volatiles and Minerals Moon Mapper imaging spectrometer to detect and map water and minerals. The Spectrometer has been approved for a future orbital flight. The Union of Oxford, with funding by the British Space Agency, built the Lunar Thermal Mapper instrument to gather temperature data and determine the composition of silicate rocks and soils to improve understanding why water content varies over time. "We're immensely disappointed that our spacecraft didn't get to the Moon, but the two science instruments we developed, like the teams we brought together, are world-class," said Bethany Ehlmann, the mission's principal investigator at Caltech. "This collective knowledge and the technology developed will cross-pollinate to other projects as the planetary science community continues work to better understand the Moon's water." In the 1990s, NASA's Clementine mission detected water on the moon -- the first spacecraft to completely map the lunar surface. The lunar-mapping missions are intended to further scout surfaces for water that could sustain humans. The Artemis II is scheduled to reach the moon no earlier than April 26, and a crewed Artemis III is planned for mid-2027 aboard the Orion spacecraft. Humans have not been on the moon since 1972.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Another Lockheed Martin-Built GPS III Satellite Lifts Off into Orbit
CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION, Fla., May 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- At 1:37 p.m. EDT today, the eighth GPS III space vehicle—designed and built by Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) —successfully launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. It achieved signal acquisition shortly thereafter. Similar to its rapid response predecessor in December 2024, GPS III SV08 executed an accelerated launch call-up, shipping from its cleanroom in Colorado and undergoing launch preparations in Florida in just over three months, compared to the typical timeframe of several months. "Our team is thrilled to support another launch of a critical GPS satellite, just five months since the last liftoff," said Malik Musawwir, vice president of Navigation Systems for Lockheed Martin Space. "This demonstrates Lockheed Martin's ability to rapidly launch and deploy national security space assets, and we look forward to putting the next two GPS III satellites on orbit to further enhance this critical constellation." These GPS III satellites will play a vital role in providing accurate and resilient positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) capabilities to both civilian and military users, enabling critical applications such as aviation, maritime, and land transportation, plus search and rescue operations. For military users, the advanced security features and anti-jamming capabilities of GPS III – and the follow-on GPS IIIF – satellites are particularly crucial, as they will ensure uninterrupted access to precise navigation and timing data, even in contested or denied environments, thereby supporting national security and defense operations. SV08 is now under operational control at Lockheed Martin's Denver Launch & Checkout Operations Center until its official acceptance into the current operational GPS network. Ground Operations for Space SecurityIn addition to building the spacecraft at its Littleton, Colorado facility, and providing early on-orbit operations, Lockheed Martin plays a major role in the continuation and maintenance of the modernized GPS ground segment—also known as the Architecture Evolution Plan. This architecture is core to operating the 31 active GPS satellites on orbit, enabling them to provide life-changing PNT capabilities that our modern world relies. The ground segment underpinned by Lockheed Martin is responsible for monitoring and controlling the GPS satellite constellation, as well as providing navigation data to its users. It consists of a network of monitoring stations, master control stations, and ground antennas located around the world. Most recently, Lockheed Martin has further enhanced GPS' ground segment by incorporating M-Code Early Use into the system, which allows for worldwide use of a specialized, secure military communications signal by American and allied troops. Once declared operational, GPS III SV08 will be the eighth GPS III satellite in space with boosted M-code, strengthening navigation, precision and anti-jamming for critical military operations. Lockheed Martin was also recently awarded a contract modification for two additional future GPS IIIF satellites to further enhance the constellation. About Lockheed MartinLockheed Martin is a global defense technology company driving innovation and advancing scientific discovery. Our all-domain mission solutions and 21st Century Security® vision accelerate the delivery of transformative technologies to ensure those we serve always stay ahead of ready. More information at View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Lockheed Martin
India Today
29-04-2025
- Science
- India Today
Nasa puts inflatable moon habitat to burst test. Watch what happens next
Nasa's Marshall Space Flight Center and Lockheed Martin Space have achieved a major milestone in the development of inflatable deep space habitats, successfully completing a long-duration creep test that pushed the technology to its test, conducted at Nasa Marshall, subjected a prototype inflatable habitat to sustained internal pressure for over 1,000 hours before it ultimately burst-far exceeding the planned 100-hour duration and demonstrating the robustness of the tests are critical for evaluating how materials deform under constant stress over time, simulating the harsh conditions these habitats would face during long-duration missions to the Moon, Mars, or beyond. The test unit, constructed from Vectran, a material five times stronger than steel and ten times stronger than aluminum, was pressurized to a significant fraction of its ultimate burst pressure and monitored result: the habitat withstood more than ten times the expected mission duration before failure, providing engineers with valuable data on its long-term performance and safety accomplishment marks a significant step forward for inflatable habitat technology, which offers substantial advantages over traditional rigid modules. Inflatable habitats can be packed compactly for launch and then expanded in space, providing astronauts with much larger living and working spaces without the mass penalty of rigid success of the creep test not only validates the material and manufacturing approaches but also boosts confidence in the technology's readiness for future crewed Martin and Nasa engineers will now analyse the data to refine their designs further, with the goal of enabling sustainable human presence on the Moon and Mars.
India.com
23-04-2025
- Politics
- India.com
THESE are 10 most dangerous missiles in the world... India's Agni is at.... Pakistan misses the spot
THESE are 10 most dangerous missiles in the world... India's Agni is at.... Pakistan misses the spot Ballistic missiles are rocket-propelled weapons that follow a high, arcing trajectory after being launched, delivering warheads to a target using unpowered flight. They are powered initially by rockets, but then rely on inertia and gravity to reach their destination. In today's scenario, all the major powers of the world are developing intercontinental ballistic missiles, each more advanced than the other. Here are the top 10 intercontinental ballistic missiles in the world: The Minuteman III, in service since the 1970s, is a three-stage solid fuel ICBM. It has a range of about 13,000 km and can carry multiple MIRVs (Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicles). Currently, these missiles are deployed in 400 silos in the US. The Trident II missile is developed by Lockheed Martin Space and is a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). It is deployed on the US Navy's Ohio and British Vanguard-class submarines. Its range reaches 7,800 km with a full load and 12,000 km with a light load. Voyevoda, known by NATO name SS-18 Satan, is one of Russia's most dangerous missiles. It has a range of about 11,000 km and can carry more than 10 large thermonuclear warheads simultaneously. It was specifically designed to target the US. The Yars missile, also called the SS-29 or SS-27 Mod 2, is a lethal ICBM equipped with a MIRV with a range of 12,000 km. It was first tested in 2007 and has been in active deployment since 2010. This SLBM is capable of carrying 12 thermonuclear warheads and its range can reach 12,000 km with less load. It is specially designed for Russia's nuclear submarines. The DF-41 is China's most modern and long-range road mobile ICBM, with a range of 12,000 to 15,000 km. It is capable of carrying up to 10 MIRV warheads and is intended to reach US targets. Agni-5 is India's first intercontinental range ballistic missile. It has a range of 5,000+ km and can carry a nuclear payload of 1.5 tonnes. Under India's Strategic Forces Command (SFC), this missile has become a symbol of India's nuclear deterrence capability. The DF-31 is a three-stage solid fuel missile with an estimated range of 8,000 to 11,700 km. It is deployed on a mobile launcher from which it can be launched in quick response. The JL-3 missile, designed for Type 096 submarines, has a range of 9,000 to 12,000 km. It is going to become the backbone of China's maritime nuclear deterrence. The M51 missile was inducted into the French Navy in 2010. It is capable of carrying six to ten independent warheads and has a range of between 8,000 and 10,000 km.
