Lockheed Martin announced today that Marshall Byrd has been appointed vice president and general manager of its Commercial Space Systems. He succeeds Ted Gavrilis, retired after 36 years at Lockheed Martin.

Byrd previously served as vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Michoud Operations in New Orleans, the focus of external-tank design and production operations for NASA’s space shuttle program.

Gavrilis led the Pennsylvania-based Commercial Space Systems since 2000 after joining Lockheed Martin in 1970 as a design engineer.