Lockheed Martin announced today that its new Space Vehicle Integration Laboratory (SVIL) has achieved initial operational capability and is supporting the company's satellite development program activity.

The SVIL is a new Lockheed Martin enterprise-wide asset established to apply innovative processes, procedures, products, and services to enable more efficient and lower risk space vehicle component and flight software integration. The laboratory leverages state-of-the-art computer hardware and software technologies to allow a more thorough understanding of how space vehicles, at various stages of their development life cycles, will eventually operate on-orbit.

"The SVIL serves to help programs significantly reduce up-front systems engineering and implementation costs by focusing on complete traceability from early requirements to implementation in a single, integrated vehicle engineering framework," said Rick Ambrose, Lockheed Martin vice president & general manager of its Surveillance and Navigation Systems line of business. "The entire SVIL team is excited to achieve operational excellence and mission success for our customers and looks forward to reaching final operational capability later this year."

Configured in a commercial-based plug-and-play architectural framework, the laboratory's ability to quickly develop, execute, and test integrated modular space vehicle component simulations allows users to rapidly simulate and test space vehicle architectures and component designs and interfaces in "flight-like" conditions long before flight qualified parts are available.

Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, a major operating unit of Lockheed Martin Corporation, designs, develops, tests, manufactures, and operates a full spectrum of advanced-technology systems for national security, civil, and commercial customers. Chief products include human space flight systems; a full range of remote sensing, navigation, meteorological and communications satellites and instruments; space observatories and interplanetary spacecraft; laser radar; fleet ballistic missiles; and missile defense systems.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2008 sales of $42.7 billion.

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SOURCE: Lockheed Martin