Lockheed Martin unveil reusable crewed lunar lander
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A major weapons developer is looking to set up a factory in the UK, providing a major boost to Britain’s manufacturing, defence and space industry. Lockheed Martin, a big time weapons giant and aerospace firm, has said that it is looking to build a satellite production facility in the UK. Once built, this would be the company’s first such site outside the US and is expected to create 2,000 jobs. The company revealed this news at the event organised with the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) and RTC North aimed at helping Small-Medium enterprises (SMEs) harness the growing opportunities of space in the North East of the UK.
Held at the Discovery Museum in Newcastle, the goal of the event was to “provide an opportunity for over 100 attendees from suppliers across the North East to fulfil their potential in delivering defence capabilities and contribute to regional and UK prosperity”.
Paul Livingston, Chief Executive of Lockheed Martin UK, said: “SMEs play an important role for us in the UK and so we were delighted to host this event and support the development of the North East’s already thriving space sector. We are committed to helping the UK become a space nation and contribute to Levelling-Up the economy.”
A representative from the Ministry of Defence, added: “Today’s event with Lockheed Martin and RTC North highlighted the scope and range of supplier capability in the North East.
“We hope that the event will help more of these diverse and innovative suppliers fulfil their potential to deliver defence capability and contribute to regional and UK prosperity.”
Alan Whittaker, Head of Supply Chain Programmes at RTC North, commented: “It was great to work with Lockheed Martin in delivering a highly informative event for SME’s involved in supply chains.
“The excellent lineup of speakers and subject areas helped the delegates to understand more about accessing supply chain opportunities in the defence and space sectors.
“We look forward to delivering further activities across the north of England and understanding the impact through more engagement within supply chain programmes.”
Lockheed Martin setting up a site in the UK could be a huge boost for the country’s commercial space industry, which has been rapidly growing over the past few years.
Last year, the UK unveiled its own spaceport in Cornwall, allowing companies to launch rockets carrying satellites from UK soil.
Spaceport Cornwall has officially opened its Space Systems Integration Facility, heralding a new era of capability within small satellite services.
Following its official opening in September, Melissa Thorpe, Head of Spaceport Cornwall said: “The opening of the Space Systems Integration Facility is one of the final milestones towards reaching space from the UK.
“From breaking ground only 14 months ago, to having a world-class space facility completed ahead of launch, the pace of delivery is an incredible achievement for my team and contractors that made it happen.
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“Cornwall now has a home for launch, where satellite technology can innovate to help us solve some of today’s most complex problems on Earth. This is where the real value to Cornwall, and the UK, will come from and we will take a global lead in using space for good.”
Meanwhile, last month UK based aerospace giant Rolls Royce unveiled a new image of an early-stage nuclear reactor design that could help power humanity’s missions to Mars and beyond.
The British technology pioneer is working with the UK Space Agency to explore the game-changing potential of nuclear-powered propulsion in spaceflight.
Many experts have hailed this prospect as harnessing the energy released from splitting an atom could be used to power astronaut bases on the moon or Mars, or even decrease travel times in space.
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