Lockheed Martin leads an experienced team to evolve a cost-effective, highly reliable, responsive launch system to meet the government's and commercial user's needs. Lockheed Martin's team includes Pratt & Whitney, Atlantic Research/Aerojet, Honeywell, Ensign-Bickford, and AJT & Associates.
Key to the Lockheed Martin system is a liquid oxygen/kerosene (LO 2 -RP-1) common core booster that yields significant cost savings. The common core boosters are powered by the Pratt & Whitney manufactured RD-180 engine for U.S. government missions. This engine is based on the existing, man-rated RD-170 engine, which is the world's only high-thrust, staged combustion, LO 2 -RP-1 engine in production status. The higher density of LO 2 -RP-1 for booster stages results in smaller, less complex launch vehicles and ground systems than liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen (LO 2 -LH 2 ) vehicles.
To achieve final orbital insertion, Lockheed Martin will use either a storable propellant upper stage (SUS) or the very reliable Centaur for high-energy missions. Centaur continues to be the United States' only state-of-the-art cryogenic upper stage in production with a strong, proven mission success record. The SUS will be powered by an evolved Agena engine which has a heritage of over 360 missions.
Another key tenet to the Lockheed Martin system is a robust design with increased operability to reduce recurring cost. Their experience in launch site activation, operations, and payload integration has led to a simplified, low-cost operations concept.
Achieving the EELV goals requires a total commitment to acquisition reform. Lockheed Martin is streamlining procedures and processes to fully embrace the DOD goals of more insight versus oversight and allowing commercial-based business practices to be employed wherever prudent and cost effective. With a strong tradition of launch reliability and mission success, the Lockheed Martin team is fully committed to the development, demonstration, and introduction of the EELV product line early in the next century for both government and commercial uses.
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