Lockheed Martin signed the contract for creation of grouping of satellites with the Pentagon

At the end of August, 2020 the U.S. Department of Defense signed the development contract of low-orbit grouping of military satellites with Lockheed Martin corporation. Among contractors on implementation of this project the York Space Systems company is also registered.

Lockheed Martin received the contract for $187.5 million, and York Space Systems is the contract for $94 million for grouping of communication satellites for the Agency of space development (SDA), known as Transport Layer Tranche 0. The director of SDA Derek Turner noted that each company will construct 10 satellites, and all of them will be started, as expected, by September, 2022. Satellites will have optic crosstalk coupling for the message with other satellites in the same orbital plane or in other orbits.

Lockheed Martin and York Space Systems signed the contract for creation of grouping of satellites with the Pentagon

Answering a question of why Lockheed Martin receives twice more money, than York Space for the same number of satellites, the Tournament told that the proposal of each supplier was estimated individually, considering the used technologies, cost and the diagram.

The tournament explained that each applicant proposed unique technical solution, well being guided at the same time in a question of project deadlines as understands that assigned tasks are extremely important. So, the companies received financing which depends only on technical characteristics of future developments taking into account time, necessary for accomplishment. Lockheed Martin and York Space are the first contractors of the project, in the future the Pentagon is going to involve in implementation of tasks and other contractors. Selection will happen each two years. In spite of the fact that the different companies are engaged in development, satellites completely will support interaction with each other.

Works on production of satellites will be carried out both in the USA, and at the enterprises of project participants in Europe and Canada.^[1]

Space

Notes