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08 May 14. The research and development center at Lockheed Martin responsible for space technology innovation is changing its name to the Space Technology Advanced Research and Development Laboratories, or STAR Labs. The organization leads advanced research and development projects, from solar studies and nano applications to 3-D printing and communications research.
“The STAR Labs name sharpens our focus on the mission we’ve been proud to pursue for 50 years: shaping the future of our country’s space programs,” said Dr. Kenneth Washington, STAR Labs vice president. “We continue to solve hard technical problems and build first-of-a-kind prototypes, and we do it with renewed purpose in helping our customers’ space programs be ready for tomorrow.”
STAR Labs has made a marked difference in the space industry, even recently. Its scientists showed the potent capability of small satellites with IRIS, demonstrated dramatic cost and schedule savings with additive manufacturing and created the smallest cryocooler ever, making compact sensor payloads possible. The principle site for Lockheed Martin’s STAR Labs is in Palo Alto, California, which served as the main facility under the previous name, the Advanced Technology Center. Additionally, the organization operates laboratories in Sunnyvale, California; Louisville, Colorado; Billerica, Massachusetts; and Manassas, Virginia. Lockheed Martin’s Space Systems division has operated a research center since 1956, and the Palo Alto site recently received a major reinvestment with the opening of a new 82,000 sq. ft. lab building.
08 May 14. Northrop Grumman Corporation is making additional new investments in its Melbourne-based Manned Aircraft Design Center of Excellence. Initial plans call for a new 220,000 square foot building and the addition of 300 employees, with the potential for additional jobs and capacity in the future. These investments are part of the company’s ongoing effort to improve its strategic alignment with its customers’ need for increasingly innovative and affordable products, services and solutions.
“We’re extremely appreciative of the support we’ve received from the state of Florida and the local community in our continuing effort to drive our affordability and competitive position,” said Tom Vice, Northrop Grumman corporate vice president and president, Aerospace Systems. “This expansion further cements our strong partnership with Florida, and will greatly benefit our employees, customers and shareholders.”
The facility’s continued growth, enabled by Florida’s positive business climate, will enhance competitiveness across Northrop Grumman’s operations and support the company’s focus on creating innovative and affordable products for its customers.
05 May 14. The United States secured long term access Monday to a military base in Djibouti that it relies on to launch counter-terrorism missions, including drone strikes, in Yemen and the Horn of Africa.
US President Barack Obama and his Djibouti counterpart Ismail Omar Guelleh announced the renewed ‘long term lease’ on Camp Lemonnier to reporters as they met at the White House. “Camp Lemonnier is extraordinarily important to our work throughout the Horn of Africa but also throughout the region. We very much appreciate the hospitality that Djiboutians provide,” Obama said. “Overall, this is a critical facility that we maintain in Djibouti, we could not do it without the president’s cooperation, we’re grateful for him agreeing for a long term presence there,” he added. Guelleh said his East African country and the United States were linked in a ‘strategic partnership’ to deal with “the fight against terrorism, piracy and human trafficking in our region.” The US military uses Lemonnier, a base for around 4,000 US and allied personnel, as a crucial staging area for assaults on suspected al-Qaida militants in Yemen and Shebab forces in Somalia. After al-Qaida’s attacks on the United State