Lockheed Martin has submitted bid for the US Air Force’s (USAF) hosted payload solutions (HoPS) contract, which aims to utilise commercial satellites for national space missions.
Managed by the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) Developmental Planning Directorate, the HoPS programme seeks to offer USAF and other US Government organisations with a capability for hosting official payloads on commercial spacecraft to address mission objectives.
Specifically, the contract will cover delivery of a fully functioning on-orbit hosted payload system, along with integrated ground system equipment and interfaces that deliver payload data to the government end-user, according to the HoPS solicitation released in August.
Combining the company’s experience in commercial space, mission engineering, and system solutions with its broad commercial industry ties, Lockheed’s HoPS proposal claims to bring forward affordable payload opportunities at the right time and the right place for the future mission requirements.
Lockheed Martin Military Space line of business vice-president Mark Valerio said the company has delivered 84 payloads on 16 different satellites types from multiple manufacturers since 2000.
"Three of these have been government payloads integrated on commercial hosts where we solved the business and technical aspects of the integration challenge," Valerio said.
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By GlobalData"We believe that the air force’s HoPS initiative will be a very useful tool in finding the nexus of capability, affordability, and resilience for critical national space missions."
Expected to be awarded in June 2014, the firm fixed price (FFP), multiple award indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) HoPS contract will feature five year ordering period of performance (PoP), with subsequent delivery orders (DO) not to exceed ten years, Parabolic Arc reports citing the solicitation.
Image: Lockheed has delivered 84 payloads on 16 satellites different types, including three government payloads integrated on commercial hosts since 2000. Photo: © 2013 Lockheed Martin Corporation.