National Science Foundation awards $2 Billion U.S. Antarctic Program Contract to Lockheed Martin

Last week, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced the award of a multi-year contract worth up to $2 billion to Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT). The company won the bid which will require them to operate and maintain the support infrastructure for the United States Antarctic Program (USAP).

The USAP program is important to researchers because it enables universities, research institutions and federal agencies to conduct scientific research in Antarctica. The management of the US Antarctic Program falls under the direction of the NSF. In its role the NSF provides the funding for research in Antarctica as well as any logistics and infrastructure which may be needed to other federal agencies which may also perform research near the south pole.

Not only will Lockheed Martin take on the responsibility for supporting researchers, they will also make research efforts in Antarctica more efficient which should ultimately save money.

Working with the NSF, the company plans to implement a cost-effective, streamlined infrastructure for managing work stations and medical facilities, research vessels, construction projects and remote sites in and around Antarctica. Additionally, Lockheed Martin will modernize technologies to transport scientists, staff and supplies to and from the southern-most continent.

“Lockheed Martin is proud to work with more than 3,000 program participants involved in valuable research in Antarctica,” said Linda Gooden, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin’s Information Systems & Global Solutions (IS&GS) business. “We have a longstanding history of supporting customers in remote locations and logistically challenging environments and are committed to fostering scientific and technological innovations that will benefit the world.”