Orbital Sciences reports 2Q profit up 87 percent
Associated Press
“Orbital Sciences Corp. posted solid earnings growth for the second quarter Thursday, driven by strong sales in its advanced space programs and launch vehicle operations. The Dulles, Va., company reported earnings jumped 87 percent to $25.8 million, or 43 cents per share, for the second quarter, from $13.8 million, or 23 cents per share, in the second quarter of last year.”
Lockheed 2Q profit up 13 percent
Associated Press
“Lockheed Martin Corp. posted a 13 percent increase in second-quarter earnings Tuesday, beating Wall Street expectations and prompting the company to raise its yearly outlook as it made up a drop in fighter jet sales with strength in its other business units.”
Armored vehicles lift General Dynamics 2Q profit
Associated Press
“Feeding the Pentagon’s demand for armored vehicles helped drive up General Dynamics Corp.’s second quarter profit by 25 percent, lifting shares of the defense contractor, which also raised its outlook for the year on Wednesday. General Dynamics’ stock jumped nearly 7 percent, closing up $5.82 at $89.27 per share.”
Delays hurt Boeing’s 2Q profit, which falls 19 pct
Associated Press
“Delays hurt Boeing Co.’s second-quarter profit, which fell 19 percent because of late delivery of military aircraft and rising costs from the postponed introduction of its 787 jetliner. But the Chicago-based company, the world’s second-largest commercial airplane maker after Europe’s Airbus, reaffirmed its forecasts for 2008 and 2009, saying productivity gains would overcome the quarter’s setbacks.”
LOCKHEED MARTIN PRESS RELEASE
DENVER, April 23rd, 2008 – Lockheed Martin has submitted a series of innovative proposals to the Department of Defense designed to advance state-of-the-art technologies in support of fielding rapid and responsive space systems for the warfighter.
The proposals were submitted to the Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) Office at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M.in response to three Broad Agency Announcements (BAA) released in March that address a range of capabilities in the ORS mission area. These include responsive spacecraft bus and payloads technologies; a multi-mission low earth orbit modular space vehicle; and responsive launch, range and system architecture and modeling technologies. Lockheed Martin responded to each of these BAAs with innovation and end-to-end solutions.
“The need to design, build and deploy responsive space systems that provide timely data to the warfighter is a top priority for our customer,” said Phil Bowen, director of Surveillance and Intelligence Systems at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. “Our responsive space capabilities combine Lockheed Martin’s proven experience and leading edge technologies in providing affordable and responsive solutions and we look forward to collaborating with the ORS office and our industry teammates on this important initiative.”
Continue reading ‘Lockheed Martin Proposes Modular LEO Space Vehicle to DOD’
Three of America’s largest defense and aerospace companies all reported increased first quarter profits this week.
“Boeing Co., the world’s second biggest commercial airplane manufacturer, reported a better-than-expected 38 percent jump in its first-quarter earnings, as it improved efficiency and recorded more orders for its aircraft,” the Associated Press reported. “The results, announced Wednesday by the Chicago-based aerospace and defense company, sent Boeing shares to a two-month high.”
Lockheed Martin reported profits rose 6 percent on sales of space systems, missiles and information technology systems. The Bethesda, Maryland-based company reported profits of $730 million, or $1.75 per share, beating analysts’ expectations of $1.63 per share.
The nation’s fourth largest defense contractor, General Dynamics, reported a 32-percent increase in first quarter earnings. The company’s net profit was $572 million, or $1.43 per share, up from $434 million or $1.07 per share. Profits rose on increased sales in combat systems, marine systems and the aerospace segment.
NASA also announced that it has awarded General Dynamics a $116 million contract for the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM). The company’s Advanced Information Systems unit will be responsible for designing and fabricating the LDCM spacecraft bus, integrating instruments, satellite-level testing, on-orbit satellite check-out, and continuing on-orbit engineering support. General Dynamics also will provide a spacecraft/observatory simulator.
Bob Martin of KRQE TV has some really interesting photos of a winged prototype space vehicle that Lockheed Martin launched from Spaceport America in New Mexico in December.
“It looks a bit like the space shuttle and would fly to space and return the same way. But even the big version would not carry people, just satellites,” Martin reports. “The goal is to get to orbit faster and cheaper thanks to an automated reusable spacecraft run by its own computers and just a handful of people for a launch crew.”
The one-fifth scale model was launched on a rocket by UP Aerospace. Both UP and Lockheed Martin agreed to continue using the spaceport, which state officials want to upgrade to support space tourism flights by Virgin Galactic.
Lockheed Martin has signed a memorandum of understanding to continue using Spaceport America for testing launch technologies. The agreement is the third agreement in the last two weeks between commercial companies and the New Mexico Spaceport Authority. One of those companies, UP Aerospace, launched a suborbital rocket from the spaceport containing proprietary technology developed by Lockheed Martin
“Having this relationship with Lockheed Martin validates the concept behind commercial space activity, and proves that Spaceport America can deliver on the promise of lower-cost, quicker-turnaround launch activity,” said Spaceport Authority Executive Director Steve Landeene. “More and more companies are expressing commitments to the state, wanting to make Spaceport America a key part of their future plans.
The announcement comes one week before a crucial vote in Sierra County. The state is asking residents to support a .25-cent increase in the sales tax to underwrite full construction of the spaceport to support rocket launches and space tourism flights.
SES Americom announced on Friday that it will not attempt to salvage its AMC-14 communication satellite, which was stranded in a lopsided orbit on March 15 after a Proton M upper stage shut down prematurely. Instead, the company will file a $150 million insurance claim.
“SES and Lockheed Martin have carefully examined all the available options for repositioning this satellite into its intended geostationary orbit,” said Edward Horowitz, President and CEO of SES Americom. “Unfortunately, none of those options would allow effective use of the spacecraft. The various repositioning scenarios presented carry unacceptable risks, and would result in a severely shortened life of the satellite. Therefore, we have no choice but to claim a total loss of the satellite with our insurers.”
Lockheed Martin built the satellite, which SES had completely leased to EchoStar. The American satellite television provider will file a separate $42 million insurance claim for its losses.
NASA has awarded small contracts to five companies to conduct a 210-day study of the agency’s in-house design for a human lunar lander. The five companies are:
Andrews Space, Seattle
The Boeing Co., Houston
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, Denver
Northrop Grumman Corporation, El Segundo, Calif.
Odyssey Space Research, Houston.
The contracts total $1.5 million; the largest is for $350,000. These awards are part of NASA’s effort to send astronauts back to the moon by 2020.
“These studies will provide valuable input for developing a sound set of requirements for the Altair lunar lander,” said Jeff Hanley, the Constellation Program manager at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “Industry collaboration will provide insight for our planning and early design efforts for the spacecraft.”
The Decatur Daily has a story about how United Launch Alliance suffered a setback for its Atlas V vehicle, which was not chosen for the COTS program.
Earlier this week, NASA officials awarded a $170 million contract to Virginia-based Orbital Sciences Corporation to develop a new launch system capable of delivering cargo to the International Space Station. The space agency had earlier awarded a similar contract to California-based SpaceX for a similar project involving both cargo and crew vehicles.
The Atlas V vehicle is being considered as the prime rocket for Bigelow Aerospace’s planned Sundancer space station. The companies are reportedly in negotiations for up to 50 Atlas V cargo and crew launches.
Pundit Rand Simberg has weighed in on the proposed deal for up to 50 Lockheed Martin Atlas V launches to support Bigelow Aerospace’s planned Sundancer space station. Simberg discusses the rocket’s reliability as well as NASA’s decision not to use the Atlas as the basis for a shuttle successor.
Space expert Jon Goff has some thoughts about that potential blockbuster deal for Lockheed Martin to provide up to 50 Atlas V’s to support cargo and crew transport to Bigelow Aerospace’s planned space station.
“If he were just running an orbital hotel (he isn’t), I’d be very skeptical. Instead I’m somewhere between skeptical and guardedly optimistic. While there haven’t been large numbers of takers for flights on the Soyuz, what Bigelow’s offering is fundamentally different. Flight opportunities are frequent (which is critical for most microgravity research programs–imagine trying to run an R&D lab that you could only visit once or twice a year!), the situation is more customer friendly, training would likely be more streamlined (I hear that for Soyuz training the “passenger” is actually more of a third crew member than an honest-to-goodness passenger), etc.”
You can read more of his post at Jon’s excellent Selenian Boondocks blog.