Northrop Grumman to supply navigation system for SBIRS GEO-6 satellite
By Loren Blinde
April 29, 2015
Northrop Grumman Corporation of Falls Church, VA announced April 28 that it has been selected by prime contractor Lockheed Martin to provide the space inertial reference system for the U.S. Air Force’s sixth Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) satellite.
Northrop Grumman will provide its Scalable Space Inertial Reference Unit (Scalable SIRU™) for sensor pointing/stabilization and attitude control on the SBIRS GEO-6 space vehicle. Northrop Grumman has also provided its Scalable SIRU™ for previous SBIRS GEO satellites, including GEO-5 following the 2014 contract award.
“Northrop Grumman has been steadfast in providing Lockheed Martin with crucial components on SBIRS,” said David Sheridan, Lockheed Martin vice president and SBIRS program director. “Our team is assuring that SBIRS production will continue to yield vital capabilities for the Air Force’s early warning missions.”
The SBIRS program delivers early warning of ballistic missile launches, missile defense, technical intelligence and battlespace awareness. The system’s architecture features a mix of GEO satellites, hosted payloads in Highly Elliptical Orbit, and ground hardware and software.
“This award reflects our continuing dedication to providing products that uphold the highest reliability and performance standards,” said Bob Mehltretter, vice president, Navigation and Positioning Systems, Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems. “We look forward to providing this strategic advantage on SBIRS.”
Northrop Grumman’s Scalable SIRU™ is the industry standard for high-precision, long-life attitude control solutions supporting commercial, government and civil space missions, according to the company. The Scalable SIRU™ has proven its performance during numerous space missions, including NASA’s MESSENGER mission to orbit Mercury and the Global Precipitation Measurement mission. At the heart of the Scalable SIRU™ is Northrop Grumman’s patented hemispherical resonator gyro, which has been used in space without a mission failure for more than 30 million operating hours.
Source: Northrop Grumman Corp
