SCIF

Built in Lockheed Martin’s former rocket assembly building, the GPS III Processing Facility (GPF) spans nearly 50,000 square feet of assembly and test areas for new GPS III satellites. The facility features an industry-leading production line that enables highly efficient manufacturing of GPS III satellites. The facility includes:

  • A 32,900-square-foot, SCIF-level, Class 100,000 cleanroom high bay that serves as the “factory floor” and houses assembly stations, a solar array test fixture, and a space vehicle transfer fixture
  • A 960-square-foot thermal vacuum chamber that simulates the conditions of space for testing purposes
  • A 2,880-square-foot, two-story anechoic test chamber that allows for testing of antennas and telemetry equipment without sound or electromagnetic interference

The GPS III program replaced aging GPS satellites while improving capability to meet the evolving needs of military, commercial, and civilian users worldwide. GPS III satellites deliver enhanced accuracy and improved anti-jamming capability, extend the spacecraft’s design life, and add a new civil signal interoperable with international global navigation satellite systems.

As the project’s electrical engineer, RMH designed normal and backup power systems, lighting, grounding, fire alarm system detection and notification, lightning protection, access control, and public address systems for this critical facility.

Photo credit: Lockheed Martin Space Systems

The Lockheed Martin Space Systems Gateway Center at the Waterton Canyon campus marks a significant leap in satellite production capabilities. This $350 million, 266,000-square-foot facility focuses on designing, manufacturing, and testing satellites. Within its expansive layout, 175,000 square feet of SCIF support secure operations for national security missions.

The Gateway Center features a high bay Class 100k clean room, enabling the simultaneous construction and testing of large and small satellites. It also houses a large thermal vacuum chamber that replicates the harsh conditions of space, allowing for rigorous satellite testing prior to launch. Complementing these facilities is a sizable anechoic chamber for safely testing satellite antennas, sensors, and communication systems, as well as a large volume airlock that streams the departure of completed spacecraft in a controlled, clean environment.

The project includes redundant power systems, uninterruptible power supplies, generators, and a central utility plant, achieved through meticulously coordinating highly technical equipment.

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