Brenda Marie Rivers
An industry team composed of Northrop Grumman, Blue Canyon Technologies and Trident Systems has delivered a 330-pound small satellite into orbit as part of a Defense Advanced Reserach Projects Agency program to accelerate spacecraft development.
Rocket Lab launched on March 28 the Radio Frequency Risk Reduction Deployment Demonstration satellite from the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand, Northrop said Tuesday.
The satellite was conceptualized and developed within 20 months and includes components such as Blue Canyon’s spaceraft bus and Trident’s sofwtare-based radio technology.
“Taking thoughtful risks and eliminating bureaucracy allowed us to streamline our processes to achieve rapid timelines,†noted Scott Stapp, vice president of resiliency and rapid prototyping at Northrop.
He added that the company looks forward to partnering with the government as well as commercial suppliers and startups to support national security efforts.
DARPA implemented measures to reduce requirements and review procedures for the R3D2 effort, while Northrop utilized its commercial supplier network and rapid-development approach to accelerate satellite delivery.
