Lockheed promotes new space segment leader
By
Ross Wilkers
Lockheed Martin promotes one of its vice presidents with a long career at NASA to head the company's space systems segment at the start of 2022.
Lockheed Martin has promoted one of its own vice presidents in Robert Lightfoot, also a former longtime NASA official, to lead the company’s space segment as executive VP.
Lightfoot will officially succeed the retiring Rick Ambrose on Jan. 1 of next year, Lockheed said Tuesday. Ambrose announced in October his plan to retire from Lockheed after the company found his successor.
The space systems segment posted nearly $11.9 billion in revenue during 2020 and Lockheed expects that number to stay roughly flattish for this year, according to the company’s updated financial guidance from the third quarter.
Lightfoot joined Lockheed in May 2019 as a vice president responsible for strategic planning, advanced technology concepts and new business strategy in the space segment. He currently is VP of operations.
Prior to joining Lockheed, Lightfoot spent 29 years at NASA and most recently was its acting administrator from January 2017 until his retirement from the agency in April 2018.
His career at NASA included service as associate administrator and director of the Marshall Space Flight Center.
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