PALO ALTO, Calif. - A new technology center in the heart of Silicon Valley will help Lockheed Martin advance optical systems that power innovations used in satellites, lasers, telescopes and targeting systems.
The Optical Payload Center of Excellence unites design teams into one collaborative unit in the hopes of developing optical payload technologies that are more powerful, precise and affordable than today's systems. It incorporates experts across the world from Lockheed Martin, its industry partners and leading research universities.
The center will provide a place for experts to collaborate, develop, test and produce optical payloads. Scientists and engineers will not only advance technology but also research ways to deliver exacting capability faster and more affordably. For example, sensitive optics on NASA's Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) are delivering incredible new images of hidden areas of the sun using a small satellite, which went from concept to payload completion in just 36 months.
From observatories and satellites to missile defense seekers and targeting pods, numerous Lockheed Martin products use optical systems, such as digital focal planes, directed energy lasers, ladar systems and specialized optical systems research.
There is pressure on manufacturers to lower size and costs of satellite payloads. The general trend in satellite manufacturing has been to build larger and more powerful satellites. However, lack of funding and advances in microprocessing technology has made small satellites increasingly popular. New players in the industry, such as Planet Labs, are building networks of tiny satellites, instead of relying on a couple of very expensive and large satellites. In order to compete in this new market, established players like Lockheed Martin will need to improve their small satellite offerings.
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