Lockheed Martin wins NASA SEISS contract

Lockheed Martin's Space Systems Company has won a sole-source, $31.2 million, 18-month NASA contract for Systems Engineering for In-Space Servicing.

The Lockheed unit, located in Greenbelt, Md., will provide systems and discipline engineering support to develop and execute two demonstrations to test and verify new robotic servicing capabilities using the Dextre robot aboard the International Space Station, according to a company announcement.

The Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator, or Dextre, is a project of the Canadian Space Agency. It is a two-armed robotic system designed for intricate maintenance and service tasks that have been traditionally performed during spacewalks. The tests of Dextre will take place at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, where the projects are being developed.

The contract encompasses requirements definition and verification, hardware design, support of flight and ground hardware/software development, and mission planning support.

Lockheed Martin, of Bethesda, Md., ranks No. 1 on Washington Technology’s 2010 Top 100 list of the largest federal government contractors.