SPARKS, Nev., September 09, 2019 – Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), the global aerospace and national security contractor owned by Chairwoman and President Eren Ozmen and CEO Fatih Ozmen, completed on-time delivery of multiple mission critical components for the NASA Mars 2020 mission, including the descent brake mechanism that gently lowers the rover onto the Martian surface.
Mars 2020 marks the 13th time SNC has provided NASA with hardware by which spacecraft orbit or land on the Martian surface.
“We are proud to support NASA in these historic missions to Mars in work dating back to 1992,” said SNC CEO Fatih Ozmen. “The fact that our technology helps humankind to touch Mars, in preparation for human exploration of the red planet, is so exciting for us.”
In addition to the descent brake, SNC also delivered a number of actuators, including those used in the Sample Caching System including the Robotic Arm, the Coring Drill and Adaptive Caching Assembly, as well as the actuator that deploys an autonomous helicopter. Once deployed, the helicopter flight will mark the first time in history that an airborne craft will fly on another planet.
The Mars 2020 mission launches in July 2020 and addresses high-priority science goals for Mars exploration, including key questions about the potential for life on Mars.
About SNC
SNC is a trusted global leader in aerospace and national security. Our innovative solutions enable connected protection through command, control and communications systems, as well as ISR, cyber, electromagnetic spectrum management, and other high capabilities for national security systems across all domains – sea, land, air, space and cyber. As a longstanding leader in defense technology, SNC is at the optimum intersection of commercial, defense and non-traditional contractors. We are one of the only privately owned mid-tier A&D contractors and we pride ourselves on our ability to invest early and often to ensure mission success on or ahead of schedule. It's part of our mission to always stay one step ahead; working on solutions today to solve the problems of tomorrow. Founded in 1963, SNC is owned by Chairwoman Eren Ozmen and CEO Fatih Ozmen.