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Lockheed Martin News
LOCKHEED MARTIN CUBESATS SUCCESSFULLY VALIDATE ESSENTIAL MANOEUVRES FOR ON-ORBIT SERVICING
Lockheed Martin’s In-Space Upgrade Satellite System showcased several new capabilities that include close proximity manoeuvres and on-orbit servicing techniques.
Lockheed Martin recently announced that its In-space Upgrade Satellite System (LM LINUSS™) accomplished a successful on-orbit demonstration, proving how small satellites can serve an essential role in sustaining critical space architectures. They do this by regularly upgrading existing constellations with new capabilities and extending spacecraft design lifecycles.
During the demonstration, one of the LM LINUSS CubeSats acted as the designated servicing vehicle, navigating a flightpath towards the second CubeSat, which represented the resident space object (RSO). As the servicing vehicle approached the RSO, on-board guidance algorithms made final real-time adjustments to complete its rendezvous operations. Its culminating success was declared when the CubeSats manoeuvred in proximity of one another which demonstrated high confidence in conducting future on-orbit servicing missions for customers.
In addition to RPO, the toaster-sized CubeSats also accomplished additional technology demonstrations while on-orbit. Several of these include:
- Performing automated manoeuvres and using artificial intelligence to fly coordinated flightpaths, supporting a variety of operational conditions.
- Using Lockheed Martin's Horizon™ 2.0 command and control (C2) software and advanced RPO software.
- Maintaining connection with a secure cloud-based architecture for mission telemetry, tracking and control.
- Showcasing the company's advanced SmartSat™ software.
- Demonstrating miniaturized Space Domain Awareness capabilities.
- Validating new onboard high-performance processing, low-toxicity propulsion, inertial measurement units, machine vision, and 3D-printed components.
LM LINUSS could be considered the most capable pair of CubeSats in geosynchronous Earth orbit today, based on customer community feedback. The spacecraft have higher bus density, payload accommodation and on-orbit processing than any other CubeSat, which helps enable revolutionary mission capabilities in the future. Part of Lockheed Martin's LM 50 smallsat family, it is the collaborative integration of the company's mission electro-optical payload deck with a next-generation bus from Terran Orbital Corporation. LM LINUSS and other Lockheed Martin pathfinders are helping create a more sustainable future, safely adding mission life and more.
