Jay Clemens
A team of Air Force engineers and technicians have embedded a Lockheed Martin-built satellite into a military payload fairing ahead of a scheduled space launch April 3.
The Defense Meteorological Satellite Program Block 5D weather satellite is designed to help military forecasters monitor global weather systems and transmit data to deployed troops, Lockheed said Thursday.
Sue Stretch, DMSP program director at Lockheed, said the company intends for the satellite to help armed forces track flight patterns and deploy troops.
“As we approach launch, we are ready to continue serving this mission for the military and civil agencies that depend on it,†added Stretch.
The DMSP spacecraft will be launched aboard an Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 3 East at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
The Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center leads the DMSP program and an Air Force-National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration team controls the satellite.
