The Air Force’s Space Based Infrared Systems Wing says it has successfully completed the 20-month development of the flight software subsystem (FSS) for the first space based infrared system early warning satellite, GEO-1. In a release Monday, the wing said FSS version 1.5 was finished July 29 at the site of prime contractor Lockheed Martin in Sunnyvale, Calif., and represented “a major milestone” for the SBIRS program. “Integration and spacecraft testing to date have demonstrated the software to be very stable and of extremely high quality,” said Lt. Col. Heath Collins, commander of the SBIRS Space Squadron, a part of the wing. The FSS will operate, control, and monitor GEO-1’s health, status, and safety. It will also perform functions such as telemetry, thermal control, power management, and fault detection and recovery activities. The software will now undergo qualification testing in preparation for the final system tests leading up to the delivery of GEO-1 for launch.
Anduril and General Atomics will develop their Collaborative Combat Aircraft for the Air Force, beating out Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, the service announced on April 24. But any of the non-selected companies can compete to actually manufacture the eventual design, the Air Force said.