Lockheed's Research Laboratory was established in 1956 to support the recently founded Lockheed Missiles and Space Division. The earliest products of the division were a new generation of submarine-launched ballistic missile—Polaris and the Agena spacecraft. It was immediately recognized that both required advances in materials technology and the Materials Sciences Directorate was established in the research laboratory to address those needs. Today, materials researchers are conducting investigations in a wide range of topics in metallurgy, chemistry, structures, and nondestructive test/evaluation.

The laboratory has a particularly strong capability in performance analysis and problem identification/resolution for solid rocket propulsion systems. Current work on the Trident II continues the laboratory's contributions to the Polaris, Poseidon, and Trident I missiles. Efforts are also focused on materials for other aerospace applications, such as advanced aircraft, the NASA Space Station (Freedom), and the Strategie Defense Initiative.

Examples of materials sciences achievements include the development of the space shuttle's heat shield tiles, the first use of lithium as an anode in batteries, a real-time x-ray inspection system for large rocket motors, and coated and uncoated refractory metal hot gas manifolds for ballistic missile propulsion. The organization has a staff of about 170 professionals.