Global Positioning Systems Directorate News

Lockheed Martin inform that the U.S. Air Force has awarded it more than $245 million in contract options to complete production of its seventh and eighth next-generation Global Positioning System satellites, known as GPS III. “With eight GPS III satellites now fully under contract, the GPS III program is moving from development into recurring production,” said Mark Stewart, vice president of Lockheed Martin’s Navigation Systems mission area. GPS III is an important program for the Air Force…

Exelis says it has successfully completed and fully tested six transmitter assemblies, which are integral payload components for the first in a series of the next generation of GPS III navigation satellites. The navigation payload transmitters carry high-powered GPS signals from space to Earth, benefitting military, commercial and civilian users. To ensure the space vehicle navigation payload meets performance requirements over the mission life, Exelis subjected the transmitter assemblies to a rigorous test program which includes random vibration…

The U.S. Air Force has awarded Lockheed Martin more than US$200-million in contract options to complete production of its fifth and sixth next-generation Global Positioning System satellites, known as GPS III . Lockheed Martin explain that the GPS III improves capability to meet the evolving demands of military, commercial and civilian users. GPS III satellites will deliver three times better accuracy; provide up to eight times improved anti-jamming capabilities; and include enhancements which extend spacecraft life 25 percent further than the prior GPS block.