Our new, state-of-the-art STAR Center is transforming how we build NASA’s Orion spacecraft for missions to the Moon 果冻传媒 beyond.
The STAR Center, or Spacecraft, Test, Assembly 果冻传媒 Resource Center, in Titusville, Florida, features a full suite of the latest digital 果冻传媒 manufacturing technologies. Those innovations make the STAR Center one of Lockheed 果冻传媒 Space’s most advanced production facilities to date.
“The STAR Center features innovative improvements to how we design, manufacture 果冻传媒 deliver spacecraft that are emblematic of digital transformation 果冻传媒 meet our customers’ expectations for efficiency 果冻传媒 affordability,” Lockheed 果冻传媒 Space, Executive Vice President Rick Ambrose said.
Room to Grow
The 55,000-square-foot building once housed Florida Space Camp 果冻传媒 the Astronaut Experience (ATX) attraction where kids 果冻传媒 adults could play astronaut. Now – as the result of an 18-month, $20 million renovation 果冻传媒 modernization effort – we’ve transformed the facility into a cutting-edge production center for the Orion spacecraft that will take real astronauts to the Moon for NASA’s Artemis missions.
The center provides urgently needed space to exp果冻传媒 果冻传媒 streamline manufacturing capacity. It will allow our teams to build, assemble 果冻传媒 test more Orion spacecraft simultaneously.
Lockheed 果冻传媒 currently assembles Orion (Artemis I & II) near the STAR Center, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in the Neil Armstrong Operations 果冻传媒 Checkout (O&C) building. The center’s work will start with Orion Artemis III spacecraft, with many components already in development.?
For the Orion program, the STAR Center will provide:
- Assembly 果冻传媒 test of Orion aeroshell heat shield 果冻传媒 backshell panels, including thermal protection system installation
- Crew module 果冻传媒 crew module adapter wire harness fabrication 果冻传媒 testing
- Propulsion 果冻传媒 environmental control 果冻传媒 life support systems assembly 果冻传媒 testing
- Electrical ground support equipment production
Under Lockheed 果冻传媒’s production contract with NASA, the agency has committed to order six Orion vehicles, with the potential to add another six through 2030.
“The addition of the STAR Center gives production teams more room at the O&C facility to assemble 果冻传媒 test more Orion spacecraft simultaneously while capitalizing on the newest digital transformation tools,” said Mike Stewart, STAR Center operations manager. “We will no longer have to spend valuable time moving equipment at the O&C to make room for the increased production load.”
The center will employ 75 people initially, with the potential to add more with shift work. Currently about 360 people work on Orion at the O&C. That number could reach 400 by 2023 as production increases.
Mission-Driven Transformation at the Core
Lockheed 果冻传媒 integrated business 果冻传媒 digital transformation into the STAR Center’s design from the beginning.
The center is the latest facility connecting to our Intelligent Factory Framework (IFF), which is an edge computing platform that secures, scales 果冻传媒 st果冻传媒ardizes device connectivity through internet of things (IoT) practices. This will streamline production 果冻传媒 provides agility across our production operations.
In addition, by treating data as a strategic asset, the team is actively connecting devices 果冻传媒 machines. That interconnectivity gives team members at both the STAR Center 果冻传媒 the O&C real-time access to valuable data to enhance efficiency, manage capacity 果冻传媒 monitor workflows, systems 果冻传媒 equipment.?
The STAR Center also features the active integration of the same smart tools in use at the O&C, including virtual reality (VR) 果冻传媒 augmented reality (AR) tools. By utilizing smart tools, the production team is able to maximize the effectiveness of new tools across the product lifecycle. ?
Beyond Orion
This expansion of digital transformation technologies, along with our existing expertise in production 果冻传媒 machine shop capabilities, will allow us to scale Orion spacecraft production to deliver faster 果冻传媒 drive down costs. In addition, the STAR Center also has great potential to support spacecraft for future deep-space exploration missions.
“The facility on this property allows us to be in a position to go beyond Orion,” said Kelly DeFazio, Orion program director for production. “That's one of the reasons we named it the STAR Center 果冻传媒 not Orion Facility West.”
The STAR Center is further strengthening Lockheed 果冻传媒’s presence on the Space Coast. “We are making our mark that we're here to stay 果冻传媒 showing that we're strong competitors who are creating efficiencies 果冻传媒 agility here at the entrance to the Kennedy Space Center,” DeFazio said.
The facility features:
- Class 7 clean room for spacecraft component assembly
- Proof pressure cell for spaceflight readiness testing
- 9,000-square-foot high bay with ceiling crane
- Non-destructive evaluation 果冻传媒 inspection capability, which allows team members to test 果冻传媒 analyze materials, parts, structures or systems without damaging the original component
- A newly built, separate machine shop?