Lockheed picks Gravitics for orbital carriers

Lockheed Martin’s selection of Gravitics gives one of the clearest looks yet at how the Pentagon’s Golden Dome effort could translate from architecture slides into hardware. Gravitics said on August 4 that it had been chosen to support Lockheed Martin on a U.S. defense contract of “national importance,” without naming the program. Regulatory filings disclosed later, and first reported by SpaceNews on August 31, said the work covers three spacecraft for demonstrations of space-based missile defense technologies under Golden Dome. ### So what exactly did Lockheed pick Gravitics to build? Three spacecraft are at the center of the award. SpaceNews reported from regulatory filings that Gravitics was selected by Lockheed Martin to build three spacecraft for Golden Dome demonstrations, and coverage by Outer Space Today described them as Orbital Carriers intended to support space-based missile defense operations. (gravitics.com) Gravitics’ own product material describes Orbital Carriers as platforms for “space superiority, emergency response, and threat protection” that can bypass delays tied to traditional launch. On the company’s Orbital Carrier page, the Diamondback variant is described as supporting “multiple interceptors” or other payload volume, while the larger Medusa carrier is designed to carry several Viper vehicles and payloads. (spacenews.com) ### Why does “Orbital Carrier” matter more than a normal satellite bus? Gravitics says the concept is built around pre-positioning hardware in orbit and releasing it when needed rather than launching each payload from Earth on demand. The company’s August 4 statement said its Orbital Carrier and Viper OTX programs are designed to provide “pre-positioned, on-demand, and rapid orbital transfer capability” for defense, civil and commercial users. (gravitics.com) The company’s product page adds that response times fall as more carriers are added to a fleet. That framing helps explain why the vehicle is being discussed as an on-orbit magazine or depot rather than only as another satellite platform. That characterization is an inference from Gravitics’ published description of pre-positioned payloads and fleet response times, not a formal Pentagon definition. (gravitics.com) ### How does this connect to Golden Dome? Golden Dome has been publicly associated with space-based missile defense work, but specific industrial awards have been hard to pin down. SpaceNews said the Gravitics selection is for demonstrations of space-based missile defense technologies under the Pentagon’s Golden Dome program, making it one of the first disclosed contracts directly tied to that architecture. (gravitics.com) Outer Space Today reported that the spacecraft are meant to pre-position and deploy sensors or missile interceptors on orbit. That use case matches Gravitics’ earlier public marketing for Orbital Carriers, which has included missile defense among the mission areas for the platform. ### Is this a new line of business for Gravitics? (spacenews.com) Gravitics has been developing the Orbital Carrier for more than a year with U.S. government backing. The company said in a prior release that it is executing a STRATFI contract with the U.S. Space Force, and a federal contract database entry cited by HigherGov shows a March 2026 Air Force Research Laboratory award worth up to $30 million for an orbital carrier flight demonstration. (outerspacetoday.com) August 4 appears to be the first time Gravitics publicly tied itself to Lockheed Martin on a national-security program, and the later reporting indicates the Golden Dome work is its first disclosed production order for Orbital Carriers. Gravitics has otherwise presented itself as a builder of orbital infrastructure, cargo logistics spacecraft and space station modules. (gravitics.com) ### What happens next? Gravitics’ current Orbital Carrier page lists a first-flight target of “NET 2027” for Diamondback and “NET 2028” for Medusa, while its Viper OTX transfer vehicle lists a 2028 target for first flight. The company has not publicly detailed launch providers, contract value or a delivery schedule for the three Golden Dome spacecraft. August 21 SEC filings tied to Gravitics’ planned public-market transaction provide another place to watch for additional disclosures, and Lockheed Martin’s investor filings page is the likeliest venue for any future prime-contractor update. (gravitics.com) (sec.gov) (gravitics.com)