Lockheed Martin selects Microsemi’s master reference oscillators for the U.S. Air Force’s SBIRS satellite program

Microsemi Corporation of Aliso Viejo, CA announced on August 31 that the company was chosen to supply its master reference oscillator for the U.S. Air Force’s Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) satellite program for which Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor.

SBIRS, considered one of the nation’s highest priority space programs, provides global, persistent, infrared surveillance capabilities to meet 21st century demands in four national security mission areas: missile warning, missile defense, technical intelligence and battlespace awareness.

SBIRS, the next-generation program replacing the 1970s Defense Support Program constellation, delivers timely, reliable and accurate missile warning and infrared surveillance information to the president, the secretary of defense, combatant commanders, the intelligence community and other key decision makers. The system enhances global missile launch detection capabilities, supports the nation’s ballistic missile defense system, expands the country’s technical intelligence gathering capacity and bolsters situational awareness for warfighters on the battlefield.

The SBIRS satellite includes highly sophisticated scanning and staring sensors that will deliver improved infrared sensitivity and a reduction in area revisit times over the current constellation. The scanning sensor will provide a wide area surveillance of missile launches and natural phenomena across the earth, while the staring sensor will be used to observe smaller areas of interest with superior sensitivity.

“Microsemi has more than 40 years of space heritage with our space-grade crystal oscillators, which provide highly accurate performance as well as an unsurpassed combination of small size, low power and best-in-class offerings for applications where frequency, stability and phase noise are critical,” said Peter Cash, director of space, defense and advanced technology for Microsemi’s Frequency and Time Division. “We are proud to extend our relationship with Lockheed Martin and continue our support of the company and the U.S. Air Force on the fifth and sixth SBIRS satellites.”

Source: Microsemi