Lockheed Martin engineers select Northrop Grumman navigation system for SBIRS GEO-5 satellite
WOODLAND HILLS, Calif., 18 Dec. 2014. Officials at prime contractor Lockheed Martin [NYSE:LMT] needed a space-based inertial reference system for the U.S. Air Force Space-Based Infrared System's (SBIRS) fifth Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) satellite. They found their solution at Northrop Grumman Corp. [NYSE:NOC].
Northrop Grumman engineers are providing the company’s Scalable Space Inertial Reference Unit (Scalable SIRU) for sensor pointing/stabilization and attitude control on the SBIRS GEO-5 mission. Northrop Grumman also provided its Scalable SIRU for previous SBIRS GEO satellites.
"This award extends our support of the SBIRS program and reaffirms our status as the provider of choice for complex technical missions," explains Bob Mehltretter, vice president, Navigation and Positioning Systems, Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems. "We are committed to providing products that meet the highest performance and reliability standards for current and next-generation SBIRS satellites."
The SBIRS program delivers early warning of ballistic missile launches, missile defense, technical intelligence and battlespace awareness. The SBIRS architecture features a mix of satellites in GEO, hosted payloads in highly elliptical orbit, and ground hardware and software.
Northrop Grumman's Scalable SIRU is the industry standard for high-precision, long-life attitude control solutions supporting commercial, government and civil space missions. The Scalable SIRU has proven its performance during numerous space missions, including NASA's MESSENGER mission to orbit Mercury and the Global Precipitation Measurement mission. At the heart of the Scalable SIRU is Northrop Grumman's patented hemispherical resonator gyro, which has been used in space without a mission failure for more than 28 million operating hours.
Northrop Grumman provides systems, products, and solutions in unmanned systems, cyber, C4ISR, and logistics and modernization to government and commercial customers worldwide.
Courtney E. Howard | Chief Editor, Intelligent Aerospace
Courtney enjoys writing about all things high-tech in PennWell’s burgeoning Aerospace and Defense Group, which encompasses Intelligent Aerospace and Military & Aerospace Electronics. She’s also a self-proclaimed social-media maven, mil-aero nerd, and avid avionics and space geek. Connect with Courtney at [email protected], @coho on Twitter, on LinkedIn, and on Google+.
