Lockheed Martin has been offered an assignment worth $424.7-million by the U.S. Dept. of Defense, in support of the U.S. Air Force, for manufacturing a GEO Satellite 4.
California-based Lockheed Martin Space Systems is focusing on advancing a geosynchronous satellite for the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) of the Air Force and is expected to be launched in 2011.
SBIRS is a specialized system designed for infrared space surveillance and is deployed for gathering and supplying the data to the U.S. Defense Dept., providing missile defense, missile warning, and battlespace evaluation.
SBIRS is designated as an in-built "system of systems," featuring five satellites in the geosynchronous orbit (GEO), sensing devices introduced on other satellites in a highly elliptical orbit (HEO), and having terrain data processing and regulation functionality. It also encompasses a landscape-enabled software network connecting the U.S. Air Force infrared sensing devices with advanced IR sensing units.
The U.S. Air Force in association with Lockheed Martin has successfully accomplished the final assessment of the SBIRS’ GEO-1, the initial geosynchronous satellite, having supreme performance and efficiency before its launch in2011.
Source: http://www.lockheedmartin.com