"Lockheed Martin Expands Small Satellite Production and Demonstrates AI Technology in New Pony Express 2 Mission"

Lockheed Martin is seeing a surge in demand for small satellites, with a backlog of 100 orders from Department of Defense and intelligence customers. The company has shifted focus to small satellites, particularly in pursuit of Space Development Agency contracts, and has opened a new smallsat assembly facility near Denver, Colorado. Lockheed Martin is funding its own space missions to demonstrate technologies for potential government purchase, with upcoming tech demos including a satellite-servicing mission and an antenna experiment. The next experiment, Pony Express 2, will launch on SpaceX's Transporter 10 smallsat rideshare and demonstrate new technologies such as open standards mesh networking and autonomous tasking of satellites.