Pony Express 2 tech demo satellites by Lockheed Martin ready for launch
NewsFebruary 16, 2024
LITTLETON, Colorado. Lockheed Martin has cleared for launch the Pony Express 2 mission, aimed at demonstrating the enhancement of Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJADC2) from space, the company announced in a statement.
This self-funded technology demonstration involves a pair of 12U Terran Orbital Renegade-class space vehicles, each equipped with four Lockheed Martin payloads that include a tactical communications system, a Ka-band crosslink and mesh network, precision relative ranging and time synchronization, and a high-end CPU/processor, the statement reads. The intent of the mission is to demonstrate enhanced connectivity, autonomous capability, mission flexibility, agile operations, and AI-enabled proactive troubleshooting.
Pony Express 2 is designed to demonstrate NASA-standard delay-tolerant mesh networking, allowing warfighters to stay connected via data resiliently relayed through a satellite constellation, the company says.
The satellites are scheduled to launch on SpaceX’s Transporter-10 rideshare mission in March. Post-launch, Lockheed Martin plans to conduct a series of on-orbit demonstrations, after which Pony Express 2 will be available for government exercises later in the year, the statement adds.
