Lockheed Martin Space Operations and GHG Corporation
Range Standardization Automation II (RSAII)
Servicing Eastern and Western U.S.A.F. Space Launch Sites

GHG Corporation partners with Lockheed Martin Space Operations to streamline application development resulting in significant cost savings.

Situation
Lockheed Martin Space Operations was challenged to reduce application development costs while simultaneously increasing productivity and application reliability for the RSAII Launch Support System. With the assistance of GHG Corporation's application development experts, Lockheed Martin developed the Distributed Computing Services (DCS) product. DCS provides a common set of network interfaces, graphical user interfaces, configuration management functions, and debugging functions which result in overall cost savings, reduced development time, and improved reliability.

Key business challenges
According to Gary Kinnison, Lockheed Martin project lead, "The design and development of DCS required senior level IT professionals with a strong background in multiple technologies who understood mission critical environments. This type of expertise is very difficult to acquire and retain. GHG allowed us to meet this challenge by providing excellent technical resources."

Key technical challenges
Due to the nature of space missions, high levels of redundancy and reliability are mandatory for DCS. The time critical environment of launches creates additional demands for technology professionals. Periodically, system and software changes must be implemented within small windows of time. Our extensive history with mission critical applications in support of manned space flight superiorly aligned us to meet these challenges.

Results
DCS has been implemented and is currently supporting both the Eastern and Western U.S.A.F. space launch sites. It provides a common set of tools for all application development, resulting in reduced development costs, and increased reliability. Lockheed Martin's partnership with GHG achieved these goals. Kinnison commented, "GHG has provided reliable and efficient support which has reduced our application development cost."

Technology
Initially, Lockheed Martin's most pressing concern was obtaining and retaining the seasoned technical talent this project required to achieve success. GHG addressed these concerns by providing IT experts with the following skills:

• Application Design
• Application Development
  - SEI Level 3
  - ISO 9000
  - JAVA, IBM C++, C, X11/MOTIF
• Application Deployment
• Technical Writing.

GHG's professionals assumed the role of "Technical Lead", mentoring and training employees in the required technologies and techniques. Per Kinnison, "GHG's technical leadership has been critical to the overall success of the project".

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