Lockheed Martin [NYSE:LMT] announced today that it has established a new Space Vehicle Integration Laboratory (SVIL) to enable a more efficient and reliable process for space vehicle component and flight software integration. The SVIL utilizes state-of-the-art computer hardware and software technologies to provide users with the ability to more thoroughly understand how their space vehicle, at various stages of development, will eventually operate on-orbit. This approach facilitates less complex development, and fosters close customer partnerships, with more transparency and long-term predictability. As a Lockheed Martin Space Systems-wide asset, the laboratory will have applications for large, small, existing and future satellite development.

The laboratory is designed to significantly reduce risk associated with flight software-space vehicle hardware integration. It allows flight software developers to test and integrate early models of software in “flight-like” conditions long before flight qualified hardware is available. With the SVIL, hardware and software models are integrated at an earlier stage, allowing identification and troubleshooting of any issues near the beginning of the development cycle. This will enhance Lockheed Martin's ability to build satellites more rapidly, at lower costs, and with a higher confidence of mission success.

“The ability to field both large and small satellites quickly and reliably is a critical capability supporting the warfighter,” said Rick Ambrose, vice president and general manager of Surveillance and Navigation Systems at Lockheed Martin. “Through innovations like the SVIL, Lockheed Martin is eliminating cost, schedule and weight drivers to provide mission focused solutions with a commitment to operational excellence and mission success.”

The SVIL, located at the Lockheed Martin Space Systems facility in Denver, Colorado, is remotely accessible and can be utilized by engineers across the company through a virtual logon. Lockheed Martin’s Surveillance and Intelligence Systems (S&IS) mission area maintains a team of more than 40 engineers devoted to small spacecraft development. Since 2000, the team has worked on the XSS-11, Mitex, and internally funded programs.

Lockheed Martin has designed, built and launched over 150 small satellites, 100 percent of which have met or exceeded their design life. Lockheed Martin’s small satellite heritage demonstrates the capability to field highly innovative, reliable systems rapidly and at very low cost.