Editing Lockheed Martin Space (section)

=== Mergers and acquisitions ===
{{Anchor|RCA Astro Electronics}} <!-- Do not delete this code as it is used to link to this location from other articles. Rp2006 -->
{{See also|GE Aerospace (1960s)}}

'''RCA Astro-Electronics Division''', a division of [[RCA]]. In March 1958, RCA established Astro Electronics Products (AEP) as a division of RCA Defense Electronic Products. This [[spacecraft]] design and manufacturing facility, also referred to as the RCA Space Center was located in [[East Windsor Township, New Jersey|East Windsor]], [[New Jersey]]. 

On 18 December 1958, RCA Astro successfully launched its first communications satellite from [[Cape Canaveral Space Force Station|Cape Canaveral]]. It was called [[SCORE (satellite)|SCORE]], (Signal Communications by Orbiting Relay Equipment). [[SCORE (satellite)|SCORE]] brought the world's first voice message from space.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-05-13 |title=RCA and the Space Race |url=https://www.hagley.org/librarynews/sarnoff/rca-and-space-race |access-date=2024-08-06 |website=Hagley |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Astro Introduction |url=http://rcaastro.org/intro.htm |access-date=2024-08-06 |website=rcaastro.org}}</ref> RCA Astro went on to become one of the leading American manufacturers of [[satellites]] and other space systems, including the world's first [[weather satellite]], [[Television Infrared Observation Satellite|TIROS]], launched in 1960.
[[File:RCAAstro.jpg|thumb|RCA Astro Space Facility in East Windsor, NJ CIRCA 1963. ]]
In 1985, two members of the Astro Electronics [[engineering]] staff, [[Robert J. Cenker|Bob Cenker]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Biographical Data: ROBERT J. CENKER|url=https://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/PS/cenker.html |website=jsc.nasa.gov|date=11 February 2015 |publisher=NASA|access-date=13 February 2017}} {{PD-notice}}</ref> and [[STS-61-C#Crew|Gerard E. Magilton]],<ref name="GM">{{cite web|title=Training Photo: S85-44834 (20 November 1985)
|url=https://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-51l/html/s85-44834.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150508145152/http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-51l/html/s85-44834.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 May 2015|website=spaceflight.nasa.gov|publisher=NASA|access-date=20 May 2017}} {{PD-notice}}</ref> were selected to train as [[NASA]] [[Payload Specialist]]s for the ''[[Space Shuttle Columbia]]'' mission designated as [[STS-61-C]]. The primary goal of the flight was to deliver a [[communications satellite]], [[SES Americom|RCA Americom]] Satcom KU-1,<ref>{{cite web|title=SATCOM KU-1|url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1986-003B|website=nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov|access-date=13 February 2017}} {{PD-notice}}</ref> designed and built at the Astro-Electronics facility, into [[orbit]]. Cenker was selected as a member of the flight crew, and Magilton was assigned as the back-up. When ''Columbia'' launched on 12 January 1986, Bob Cenker became RCA Astro-Electronic's first astronaut.<ref>{{cite web|title=STS-61C Press Kit: December 1985|url=https://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/shuttle_pk/pk/Flight_024_STS-61C_Press_Kit.pdf |website=jsc.nasa.gov|date=11 February 2015 |publisher=NASA|access-date=13 February 2017}} {{PD-notice}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Mission 61-C|url=https://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/61-c/mission-61-c.html|website=science.ksc.nasa.gov|publisher=NASA|access-date=20 February 2017|archive-date=3 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170803172154/https://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/61-c/mission-61-c.html|url-status=dead}} {{PD-notice}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=ROBERT J. CENKER: AEROSPACE SYSTEMS CONSULTANT |url=https://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/the_shuttle/54.html|website=nasa.gov|publisher=NASA|access-date=25 February 2017|url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023001931/http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/the_shuttle/54.html|archive-date=23 October 2012}} {{PD-notice}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Mission Archives: STS-26 |url=https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/archives/sts-26.html|website=nasa.gov|publisher=NASA|access-date=19 February 2017}} {{PD-notice}}</ref> Following the destruction of ''[[Space Shuttle Challenger]]'' with the next Shuttle mission,<ref name="51L">{{cite web|title=NASA - STS-51L Mission Profile|url=https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/archives/sts-51L.html |website=nasa.gov|date=19 January 2016 |publisher=NASA|access-date=20 February 2017}} {{PD-notice}}</ref> civilian Payload Specialists were excluded from flying Shuttle missions until 1990.<ref>{{cite web|title=STS-35 (38)|url=https://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/sts-35/mission-sts-35.html|website=science.ksc.nasa.gov|publisher=NASA|access-date=20 February 2017|archive-date=1 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201101822/http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/sts-35/mission-sts-35.html|url-status=dead}} {{PD-notice}}</ref> {{Anchor|GE Astro Space}} By that time, RCA had been purchased by [[General Electric]], and RCA Astro-Electronics became part of GE.<ref name=EA/><ref name=AstroHistory>{{cite web|last1=Michelson|first1=Daniel|last2=Cleary|first2=Kenneth |title=RCA Astro-Electronics Division records|url=http://dla.library.upenn.edu/cocoon/dla/pacscl/ead.pdf?sort=date_added_sort%20desc&fq=top_repository_facet%3A%22Hagley%20Museum%20and%20Library%22&id=PACSCL_HML_246470&|website=dla.library.upenn.edu|publisher=Univ of Penn|access-date=16 February 2018
|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180217011633/http://dla.library.upenn.edu/cocoon/dla/pacscl/ead.pdf?sort=date_added_sort%20desc&fq=top_repository_facet%3A%22Hagley%20Museum%20and%20Library%22&id=PACSCL_HML_246470&|archive-date=17 February 2018|page=4 (Biography/History)|date=7 April 2017|quote=After GE acquired RCA in 1986, it combined AED with the Spacecraft Operations of its Space Systems Division to form the GE Astro Space Division. The entire division was sold to [[Martin Marietta]] in 1993, which in turn merged with Lockheed to form Lockheed Martin in 1995. Soon after the merger, Lockheed Martin announced that they would be closing the former AED facility. In 1998, forty years after its establishment, the RCA Space Center shut down for good.|url-status=live}}</ref> As a result, Cenker was the only RCA Astro-Electronics employee, and only employee in the history of the facility under all of its subsequent names, to ever fly in space.

The facility operated as GE Astro Space until it was sold to [[Martin Marietta]] in 1993.<ref name=EA/> Then in 1995 it became part of the newly named [[Lockheed Martin]] following the Martin Marietta merger with the [[Lockheed Corporation|Lockheed]].<ref name=EA/> Soon after the merger, Lockheed Martin announced that the New Jersey facility would be closed. The New Jersey facility completed work on the in-process projects over the next few years, including the development of the [[Inmarsat-3 F4|Inmarsat 3 Series]] Spacecraft. Inmarsat used the latest [[Spot beam|spot-beam]] technology and higher power to supply voice and data communications services worldwide to mobile terminals as small as pocket-size messaging units on ships, aircraft and vehicles. 
[[File:Lockheed Martin Inmarsat 3 on the Pad.jpg|thumb|Lockheed Martin Inmarsat Series 3 Spacecraft on Launch Pad 36A Kennedy Space Center, FL 3 April 1996.]]As the facility competed its backlog of ongoing commercial and government space projects some of the work was also transferred to other Lockheed Martin facilities, including the heritage-Lockheed facility in [[Sunnyvale, California]], and a newly built facility in [[Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania|Newtown, Pennsylvania]]. The facility that began as RCA Astro Electronics closed for good in 1998.<ref name="EA">{{cite web|title=Encyclopedia Astronautica: East Windsor |url=http://www.astronautix.com/e/eastwindsor.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227235017/http://astronautix.com/e/eastwindsor.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=27 December 2016|website=Astronautix.com|access-date=3 March 2017}}</ref><ref name="AstroHistory" />

Lockheed Martin Space Systems is now headquartered in Denver, but still does considerable operations from Sunnyvale. Also located near Sunnyvale is the main office of Lockheed Martin's space research and development group, the Advanced Technology Center (ATC), formerly the Lockheed Palo Alto Research Laboratory (LPARL).{{fact|date=March 2025}}

On 31 August 2006, NASA selected Lockheed Martin Corp., based in [[Bethesda, Maryland]], as the prime contractor to design, develop, and build [[Orion (spacecraft)|Orion]], U.S.-European spacecraft for a new generation of explorers. As of 21 May 2011, the Orion spacecraft is being developed for crewed missions to Moon and then to Mars. It will be launched by the [[Space Launch System]].{{fact|date=March 2025}}

In November 2010, Lockheed Martin Space Systems was selected by NASA for consideration for potential contract awards for [[heavy lift launch vehicle]] system concepts, and propulsion technologies.{{fact|date=March 2025}}

In June 2014, the company was contracted by the [[United States Air Force]] on a fixed-price basis to build the fifth and sixth [[Geosynchronous orbit|Geosynchronous Earth Orbit]] (GEO) satellites, known as GEO-5 and GEO-6, for the [[Space-Based Infrared System]] (SBIRS) at a cost of US$1.86 billion.{{fact|date=March 2025}}

In June 2015, Lockheed Martin announced plans to expand its workforce at [[Cape Canaveral, Florida]], in order to support the U.S. Navy's Trident II D5 Fleet Ballistic Missile program.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/news/press-releases/2015/june/0615-ss-fbm.html|title=Increasing Navy Support: Lockheed Martin to Expand Cape Canaveral Workforce by 2017|website=lockheedmartin.com}}</ref>