Lockheed Martin’s Pony Express 2 Mission Satellites Ready For Launch

Lockheed Martin’s Pony Express 2 Mission Satellites Ready For Launch

The Lockheed Martin Pony Express 2 mission, intended to showcase how space can enhance Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJADC2), is ready for launch. Pony Express 2 is a self-funded technology demonstration that uses a pair of small satellites. 

Its mission integrates four Lockheed Martin payloads on two 12U Terran Orbital Renegade-class space vehicles. The payloads provide a tactical communications system; a Ka-band crosslink and mesh network; precision relative ranging and time synchronization across the satellites; and a high-end CPU/processor.

Once on orbit, Pony Express 2 will demonstrate:

  • Enhanced connectivity: NASA-standard delay-tolerant, mesh networking to show how warfighters could remain connected by data that is resiliently-relayed through a constellation of satellites for direct to users at the tactical edge.
  • Autonomous capability: With HiveStar, a “bid-auction” style autonomous mission technology, there will be a significantly reduced need for satellite operator inputs, an increase in resiliency, and faster decision-making. HiveStar technology is a scheduling resource that distributes mission tasks based on the availability of space assets.
  • Mission flexibility: The company’s SmartSat technology onboard Pony Express 2 allows applications written in almost any software language to be uploaded to an orbiting spacecraft. Similar to an app on a smartphone, this enables edge processing for software-defined missions.
  • Agile operations: The mission features formation flight algorithms to enable the spacecraft to maintain a tight formation (within a couple of kilometers), using more efficient ion propulsion not normally used for such cooperative operations.
  • AI-enabled proactive troubleshooting: The Artificial Intelligence (AI) application will autonomously monitor spacecraft telemetry and, with the ability to predict potential failures faster than humans, and allow controllers to proactively address issues before they occur.

Pony Express 2 will launch on SpaceX’s Transporter-10 rideshare mission no earlier than March 2024. After a series of on-orbit demonstrations by Lockheed Martin, Pony Express 2 is expected to be available to participate in government exercises later this year. 

“The Pony Express 2 mission will showcase how we can keep our warfighters connected from space across every domain even in the most austere and contested environments,” said Maria Demaree, vice president and general manager for Lockheed Martin National Security Space. “These technologies will be key to ensuring information superiority and 21st Century Security for our forces and allies.”

Pony Express 2 will eventually be joined by other satellites launched later to form Lockheed Martin’s Space-Augmented Joint All-Domain Operations Environment (SAJE), which will show how space can fully enable and lead the Department of Defense’s CJADC2 vision.

Pony Express 2 is the latest mission in a collection of Lockheed Martin self-funded technology demonstrators launched by the company to showcase technology maturity, including its Electronically Steerable Antenna (ESA) Payload, LM LINUSS, and Pony Express 1.

Click here to learn more about Lockheed Martin's Joint All-Domain Operations.

Publisher: SatNow
Tags:-  SatelliteLaunch

GNSS Constellations - A list of all GNSS satellites by constellations

beidou

Satellite NameOrbit Date
BeiDou-3 G4Geostationary Orbit (GEO)17 May, 2023
BeiDou-3 G2Geostationary Orbit (GEO)09 Mar, 2020
Compass-IGSO7Inclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)09 Feb, 2020
BeiDou-3 M19Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)16 Dec, 2019
BeiDou-3 M20Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)16 Dec, 2019
BeiDou-3 M21Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)23 Nov, 2019
BeiDou-3 M22Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)23 Nov, 2019
BeiDou-3 I3Inclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)04 Nov, 2019
BeiDou-3 M23Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)22 Sep, 2019
BeiDou-3 M24Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)22 Sep, 2019

galileo

Satellite NameOrbit Date
GSAT0223MEO - Near-Circular05 Dec, 2021
GSAT0224MEO - Near-Circular05 Dec, 2021
GSAT0219MEO - Near-Circular25 Jul, 2018
GSAT0220MEO - Near-Circular25 Jul, 2018
GSAT0221MEO - Near-Circular25 Jul, 2018
GSAT0222MEO - Near-Circular25 Jul, 2018
GSAT0215MEO - Near-Circular12 Dec, 2017
GSAT0216MEO - Near-Circular12 Dec, 2017
GSAT0217MEO - Near-Circular12 Dec, 2017
GSAT0218MEO - Near-Circular12 Dec, 2017

glonass

Satellite NameOrbit Date
Kosmos 2569--07 Aug, 2023
Kosmos 2564--28 Nov, 2022
Kosmos 2559--10 Oct, 2022
Kosmos 2557--07 Jul, 2022
Kosmos 2547--25 Oct, 2020
Kosmos 2545--16 Mar, 2020
Kosmos 2544--11 Dec, 2019
Kosmos 2534--27 May, 2019
Kosmos 2529--03 Nov, 2018
Kosmos 2527--16 Jun, 2018

gps

Satellite NameOrbit Date
Navstar 82Medium Earth Orbit19 Jan, 2023
Navstar 81Medium Earth Orbit17 Jun, 2021
Navstar 78Medium Earth Orbit22 Aug, 2019
Navstar 77Medium Earth Orbit23 Dec, 2018
Navstar 76Medium Earth Orbit05 Feb, 2016
Navstar 75Medium Earth Orbit31 Oct, 2015
Navstar 74Medium Earth Orbit15 Jul, 2015
Navstar 73Medium Earth Orbit25 Mar, 2015
Navstar 72Medium Earth Orbit29 Oct, 2014
Navstar 71Medium Earth Orbit02 Aug, 2014

irnss

Satellite NameOrbit Date
NVS-01Geostationary Orbit (GEO)29 May, 2023
IRNSS-1IInclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)12 Apr, 2018
IRNSS-1HSub Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (Sub-GTO)31 Aug, 2017
IRNSS-1GGeostationary Orbit (GEO)28 Apr, 2016
IRNSS-1FGeostationary Orbit (GEO)10 Mar, 2016
IRNSS-1EGeosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)20 Jan, 2016
IRNSS-1DInclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)28 Mar, 2015
IRNSS-1CGeostationary Orbit (GEO)16 Oct, 2014
IRNSS-1BInclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)04 Apr, 2014
IRNSS-1AInclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)01 Jul, 2013