Lockheed Martin/Northrop Grumman TSAT Achieves TRL-6 Milestone.

The Lockheed Martin [LMT] / Northrop Grumman [NOC] Transformational Satellite Communications System (TSAT) space segment team has and achieved a key milestone: validating its laser communications technology developed for the Risk Reduction and System Definition (RR&SD) phase reaching Technology Readiness Level 6 (TRL-6).

The government uses TRL to measure how mature a technology is as it moves from concept or invention to an operational system. TRL-6 is met when a representative prototype system has demonstrated functionality in an environment relevant to its intended operation.

The TSAT team conducted a series of tests of the lasercom technology during the TSAT RR&SD phase, in compliance with the Air Force-directed testing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Lincoln Laboratory.

After an independent validation of the function and performance of Northrop Grumman's lasercom subsystem completed in March, the team has since conducted environmental testing of critical components. The successful completion of these tests satisfied the TRL-6 criteria.

"Completing this key milestone on schedule demonstrates the effectiveness of our team's processes for developing critical space technologies," Alexis Livanos, corporate vice president and president of Northrop Grumman's Space Technology sector, said. "This essential technology continues to move TSAT on a solid path toward flight and the delivery of the capabilities needed by our nation's warfighters."

TSAT is the military's next-generation, protected, wideband satellite communications system for military and intelligence users.

Using high-speed optical communications, Internet protocol network routing, and communications-on-the-move capability, TSAT will provide a dramatic increase in connectivity, speed and mobility for future warfighters.

"Our team's success in advancing the key TSAT technologies will prove to be enormously valuable in the next phase of this critical program," Leonard Kwiatkowski, vice president and general manager, Lockheed Martin Military Space Programs, said.

The Lockheed Martin/Northrop Grumman TSAT space segment team is currently working under a $514 million RR&SD contract.

The team is competing against Boeing [BA] for the subsequent development and production phase of TSAT, which is planned to be awarded in late 2007 (Defense Daily, June 22).

Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Sunnyvale, Calif., serves as the prime contractor. Northrop Grumman Space Technology is responsible for the communications payload, including laser and radio-frequency communications and on-board processing. The U.S. Air Force is managing the program at the MILSATCOM Systems Wing, located at the Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, Calif

[Copyright 2006 Access Intelligence, LLC. All rights reserved.]

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