Northrop Grumman has delivered the integrated payload for GEO-2, the second Air Force space based infrared system early warning satellite, to industry partner Lockheed Martin for integration with its host satellite bus, both companies announced Monday. This satellite is the second SBIRS spacecraft destined for geosynchronous orbit. It is slated for launch in 2011, following the launch of GEO-1 in 2010. “This delivery marks another successful milestone in bringing the SBIRS constellation closer to fulfillment,” said Joseph Ensor, general manager of Northrop’s Space and Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance Systems Division, in a company release. Jeff Smith, Lockheed Martin’s SBIRS vice president and program manager, said in a separate Lockheed statement that the delivery demonstrates the SBIRS team’s “commitment to successful program execution and mission success. The payload features both a scanning sensor and a staring sensor to detect ballistic missile launches and track other events on the Earth’s surface for intelligence purposes. Over the next several months, Lockheed will integrate the payload with its SBIRS spacecraft bus, followed by environmental and acceptance testing of the fully integrated space vehicle.
The Air Force and Boeing agreed to a nearly $2.4 billion contract for a new lot of KC-46 aerial tankers on Nov. 21. The deal, announced by the Pentagon, is for 15 new aircraft in Lot 11 at a cost of $2.389 billion—some $159 million per tail.