Lockheed Martin, University of Florida to Develop and Launch Five Miniature
Satellites
KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa., March 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) has
partnered with the University of Florida to develop and launch five miniature
satellites to test innovative new space solutions. Building on the
corporation's 50-year legacy of space exploration, Lockheed Martin will fund
$450,000 of research and development projects at the university in 2009.
Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Global Services and the University of
Florida will use these satellites to investigate technological advances such
as miniaturized, space-hardened GPS electronics and state-of-the-art
intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. Lockheed Martin
will also perform payload data analysis for these satellite missions.
The satellites, called CubeSats, are built in the shape of a cube, measuring
10 centimeters (less than four inches) on each side. They operate on a power
output similar to a cell phone and weigh less than 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds).
CubeSats can be built and launched relatively inexpensively and in a matter of
months, compared to more sophisticated satellites that weigh thousands of
pounds and cost millions of dollars to develop and launch.
"We are pleased to partner with the University of Florida to continue
exploring space technology with their students and academic staff," said Bill
Graham, president of Lockheed Martin's Enterprise Integration Group.
"The University of Florida is looking forward to working with Lockheed
Martin," said Dr. David P. Norton, Associate Dean for the College of
Engineering's Research and Graduate Programs. "This relationship not only
creates exciting new opportunities for our faculty and students, but it
provides a robust conduit for applying Lockheed Martin's systems integration
expertise for an emerging technology."
The university's principal investigator on this project is Dr. Gloria J.
Wiens, director of the Space, Automation and Manufacturing Mechanisms
Laboratory, and her co-investigators Drs. Janise McNair and Anil Rao. These
activities will complement the work of the Advanced Space Technologies
Research & Engineering Center (ASTREC), led by the University of Florida's Dr.
Norman Fitz-Coy. ASTREC is an Industry/University Cooperative Research Center
under the National Science Foundation that works with the space industry to
incorporate and evaluate technological innovations in their true operational
environment.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company
that employs about 146,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the
research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of
advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported
2008 sales of $42.7 billion.
For additional information, visit our website: http://www.lockheedmartin.com/
SOURCE Lockheed Martin
Brad Wolf of Lockheed Martin, +1-610-731-1845, bradley.l.wolf@lmco.com
