Lockheed Martin, U.S. Air Force deliver third SBIRS satellite to Cape Canaveral

Lockheed Martin, along with the U.S. Air Force, delivered the third Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) satellite to the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Thursday, ahead of its intended October launch date.

“SBIRS GEO satellites are our nation’s missile warning sentinels and are critical assets to the U.S. military’s continually evolving mission,” David Sheridan, vice president of Lockheed Martin’s overhead persistent infrared systems mission area, said. “With GEO Flight 3’s successful testing and delivery to the launch site, we’re expanding the military’s ability to receive timely, reliable and accurate missile warning and infrared surveillance information.”

The system incorporates a combination of satellites in geosynchronous Earth orbit, ground hardware and software, and hosted payloads in highly elliptical orbits (HEO). This combination of equipment strengthens the military’s ability to detect missile launches, assist ballistic defenses, enhances technical intelligence gathering and expand situational awareness for soldiers in combat.

The next SBIRS satellite, GEO Flight 4, is undergoing final assembly and testing prior to its intended launch in 2017. GEO Flight 5 and 6 are currently in production.

The SBIRS development team is led by the Remote Systems Directorate at the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base. Lockheed Martin Space Systems is the SBIRS prime contractor while Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems serves as the payload integrator. The 460th Space Wing at the Buckley Air Force Base operates the SBIRS system.