SUNNYVALE, Calif., Oct. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin
[NYSE: LMT] is making steady progress in a key test phase on
GeoEye's (NASDAQ: GEOY) next-generation, high-resolution imaging
satellite, GeoEye-2, as IKONOS, the world's first commercial remote
sensing spacecraft marks 13 years of
outstanding services for GeoEye's customers around the globe.
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company is developing GeoEye-2
under a fixed-price contract with GeoEye. The satellite is
currently in the midst of Baseline Integrated System Test (BIST),
an extensive test designed to characterize the performance of the
integrated satellite and establish a performance baseline prior to
entering environmental testing. Beginning later this year,
spacecraft environmental testing will validate the overall
satellite design, quality of workmanship and survivability during
space vehicle launching and on-orbit operations.
Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services will be
prepared for a planned launch for GeoEye-2 aboard an
Atlas V rocket in 2013. Once operational, GeoEye-2 will
be the world's highest resolution commercial satellite, providing
highly accurate images to intelligence analysts, warfighters, and
decision makers across the globe.
"Our on-schedule execution of GeoEye-2 is direct
testimony to our entire team's talent and dedication to
successfully delivering this critical capability for our GeoEye
customer," said Allen Anderson,
program director for Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company.
"The team also takes great pride in the impressive record of
performance and longevity of IKONOS. We look forward to
delivering GeoEye another world-class, high-performance
spacecraft and achieving mission success for its
customers."
Last month, the Lockheed Martin built-IKONOS satellite surpassed
13 years of successful on-orbit operations. Launched
Sept. 24, 1999, the satellite has
collected the world's largest archive of commercial,
high-resolution Earth imagery. IKONOS continues to perform
with outstanding results, collecting 0.82-meter resolution
black-and-white imagery while simultaneously collecting just better
than four-meter resolution multispectral data. These map-accurate
images are used for applications in land management, environmental
monitoring, local and regional government, national security,
disaster relief, news gathering, and many other geospatial
applications.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md.,
Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that
employs about 120,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged
in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and
sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.
The corporation's net sales for 2011 were $46.5 billion.
Media Contact: Steve
Tatum, 408-742-7531; e-mail, stephen.o.tatum@lmco.com
SOURCE Lockheed Martin