Miles Jamison 
Lockheed Martin has partnered with Seagate Space and Firefly Aerospace to advance sea-based launch capabilities designed to strengthen national security. Johnathon Caldwell, vice president and general manager of strategic and missile defense systems at Lockheed Martin Space, announced the collaboration on LinkedIn Tuesday.
What Will the Companies Develop?
The partnership brings together Seagate Space’s Gateway offshore launch platform, Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha launch vehicle, and Lockheed Martin’s capabilities in missile defense, targets and countermeasures. The three companies will collaborate on mission application concepts and flight demonstration projects.
In April, Seagate Space and Firefly signed a memorandum of agreement to jointly develop an offshore launch platform capable of supporting sea-based launches for the Alpha rocket.
How Does the Collaboration Support National Security Missions?
The offshore launch platform, together with Firefly’s agile Alpha rocket, will enable responsive, adaptable access to space from multiple locations to support tactical and national security operations.
“Having a capability to address the growing need for speed and flexibility to launch payloads on tactical timelines from diverse locations is key to national security,” said Caldwell.
