Lockheed Martin has announced it's filed a slew of proposals with the USAF's Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) office at Kirtland AFB, NM, in response to three Broad Agency Announcements (BAAs) asking for new ideas. As Lockheed Martin described it, "These include responsive spacecraft bus and payloads technologies; a multi-mission low earth orbit modular space vehicle; and responsive launch, range and system architecture and modeling technologies. Lockheed Martin responded to each of these BAAs with innovation and end-to-end solutions." ORS is expected to award contracts later this year.
Further quoting the press release,
"The need to design, build and deploy responsive space systems that provide timely data to the warfighter is a top priority for our customer," said Phil Bowen, director of Surveillance and Intelligence Systems at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. "Our responsive space capabilities combine Lockheed Martin's proven experience and leading edge technologies in providing affordable and responsive solutions and we look forward to collaborating with the ORS office and our industry teammates on this important initiative."
The release says LM has " designed, built, and launched over 150 small satellites, demonstrating its ability to field highly innovative capabilities rapidly at very low cost." Hmm. I don't doubt the number, although to get that many "small satellites" they must be using a definition for "small" along the lines of "anything that didn't require a Titan IV class launcher." The definition of "very low cost" is likewise a bit suspect. LM has not, understandably, shared the details of their ideas yet. There's no question they have some top engineering talent, and hopefully there's some really innovative stuff in that batch.
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