Interview, Fireside Chat
Keoki Jackson: Lockheed Martin | Lex Fridman Podcast #33
- Aims to establish a sustained basis in cislunar space within the next decade to facilitate transfer to the lunar surface, supporting long-term colonization goals for Mars and other planets.
- Targets a human return to the lunar surface during the 2024–2025 timeframe and anticipates safely transporting humans to the Martian surface and back within the current tenure at Lockheed Martin.
- Plans to maintain mission success through next-generation launch vehicles from ULA while driving down costs to enable a space economy characterized by regular vehicle reuse and permanent habitation.
- Intends to deploy AI and autonomy into all developed and retrofitted systems, including the Matrix, OSIRIS-REx, and strategic deterrent systems, to enhance capabilities in verification, anomaly detection, and data correlation.
- Foresees the evolution of fighter jet roles from pilots to mission managers controlling multiple aircraft, with systems like AutoGCAS and Matrix enabling unmanned or reduced-crew operations including zero-visibility landings and night supply delivery.
- Anticipates significant advancements in robotic exploration, hypersonic capabilities, and human-machine teaming at the tactical edge, supported by massive increases in computing power and additive manufacturing.
- Expects AI to improve internal production efficiency, generative design, logistics, and energy costs while ensuring bias is driven out and human accountability remains central to decision-making.
- Prepares to defend against evolving military threats, including those currently unimagined, through updated defensive capabilities, cyber threat countermeasures, and adherence to Department of Defense Directive 3000.09 regarding human agency.
- Acknowledges budgetary challenges and the need to work through verification and validation for non-deterministic learning systems that adapt in real-time.
- Projects that barriers to entry in space will decrease due to advanced manufacturing, while global competitors like SpaceX will continue to bring fresh innovation to a more connected and complex world.