Voyager Space announced the company was selected by Lockheed Martin to support the delivery of an advanced solid-propulsion subsystem for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA) Next Generation Interceptor (NGI), the nation’s new homeland missile defense capability.
NGI, as part of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system, will be a new, advanced interceptor to protect the homeland against limited long range ballistic missile threats from rogue nations. Voyager will provide Lockheed Martin’s NGI with a Roll Control System (RCS) with thrust and control algorithms to enable precision control of the vehicle’s orientation and a stage separation propulsion system.
Voyager will lead the subsystem through design, development, and manufacturing, ultimately delivering a flight-qualified, production-ready subsystem to Lockheed Martin ahead of the MDA’s delivery requirement. The subsystem will be built at Voyager’s established propulsion system manufacturing facility in Reno, Nevada.
Voyager’s controllable solid-propulsion technology regulates the use of solid propellant to achieve required levels of precision and long-duration operation, while offering superior reliability, safety, and affordability. The company developed the technology under a series of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts from the MDA and the U.S. Air Force (USAF) with Lockheed Martin as its commercialization and technology transition partner. Derivations of the technology also are under development for future application to USAF, U.S. Army and U.S. Navy missiles through additional SBIR contracts.