GPS World

Tag: GPS III SV11+

  • Next-gen GPS IIIF satellites take shape

    Next-gen GPS IIIF satellites take shape

    Lockheed Martin has successfully completed the core mate phase of GPS IIIF Space Vehicle 11 ( SV11), a critical production milestone that marks the satellite’s formal “birth.”  

    Continued manufacturing and deployment of these next-generation GPS spacecraft is essential to maintaining reliable global coverage, with the GPS IIIF block introducing a suite of new capabilities that further strengthens the constellation’s resilience. GPS IIIF satellites are equipped with Regional Military Protection, improving anti-jamming capability by more than sixty times, giving warfighters a decisive edge against sophisticated electronic warfare threats. 

    GPS IIIF SV11 is the third GPS IIIF satellite to complete the core mate phase, after SV13 and SV14 completed core mate last year. GPS IIIF SV11 will be the first IIIF satellite to launch. 

    “Core mate of SV11 showcases the production momentum behind the next-generation GPS IIIF satellites as we continue to invest in advanced manufacturing,” said Christina Mancinelli, vice president of Global Communications & Navigation at Lockheed Martin. “With three GPS IIIF satellites past core mate, we’ve taken pivotal steps toward accelerating production, ensuring we’re delivering critical next-generation resiliency capabilities to the GPS constellation at the pace warfighters need to protect our nation.” 

    The SV11 satellite is also M-code-enabled, providing an encrypted, anti-spoofing signal that strengthens positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) capabilities for military users globally. Additionally, SV11 is equipped with a new search-and-rescue payload that will allow first responders to navigate to emergencies in remote locations.  

    With an eye on strengthening GPS, all GPS IIIF satellites starting with SV13 will be built on the evolved LM2100 Combat Bus, which adds additional cyber-hardening and improved spacecraft power, propulsion and electronics. These vehicles are equipped with extra size, weight and power, providing flexibility to integrate additional payloads quickly onto future space vehicles.

    GPS IIIF satellites are manufactured at Lockheed Martin’s Denver, Colorado, facility, where the company is accelerating production through the use of augmented reality and digital twins. Lockheed Martin is currently under contract through GPS IIIF SV22 and recently completed all launches of GPS III space vehicles. 

  • Harris completes navigation payload for GPS III satellites

    Harris completes navigation payload for GPS III satellites

    Harris Corporation has completed development of its fully digital Mission Data Unit (MDU), which is at the heart of its navigation payload for Lockheed Martin’s GPS III satellites 11 and beyond.

    The current Harris payload for GPS III space vehicles (SVs) 1-10 includes a greater than three times reduction in range error, up to eight times increase in anti-jamming power, added signals — including one compatible with other Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) — and greater signal integrity.

    The fully digital Mission Data Unit (MDU) will create precise civil and military timing navigation signals for GPS III satellites 11 and beyond. Pictured here is the advanced MDU on navigation payloads being delivered for GPS III Space Vehicles 1-10. (Photo: Harris)
    The fully digital Mission Data Unit (MDU) will create precise civil and military timing navigation signals for GPS III satellites 11 and beyond. Pictured here is the advanced MDU on navigation payloads being delivered for GPS III Space Vehicles 1-10. (Photo: Harris)

    Harris’ GPS III SV11+ fully digital navigation payload will further improve on performance for the U.S. Air Force by providing more powerful signals, plus built-in flexibility to adapt to advances in GPS technology, as well as future changes in mission needs.

    “This design is fully mature — an Engineering Development Model, not a prototype — and is ready to be inserted into GPS III SV11+,” said Bill Gattle, president, Harris Space and Intelligence Systems. “The payload has the flexibility to serve the warfighter over the entire mission life and can be upgraded incrementally over its mission life due to built-in adaptability.”

    Harris navigation payloads are already integrated in the second GPS III space vehicle, pictured here, and the first GPS III satellite, declared available to launch in 2018. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)
    Harris navigation payloads are already integrated in the second GPS III space vehicle, pictured here, and the first GPS III satellite, declared available to launch in 2018. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)

    The payload design also ensures flawless atomic clock operations, providing the reliable GPS signal that millions of people — including U.S. soldiers — and billions of dollars in commerce depend on every day, the company said. It also will provide the clock signal for a new GPS III Search and Rescue (SAR) payload.

    Beyond flexibility and reliability, the new Harris SV11+ navigation payload offers a smooth transition to the Air Force’s GPS OCX ground control segment. The Harris payload for the first ten GPS III satellites already has been verified for OCX compatibility, and this will allow Harris to seamlessly port the Harris SV11+ design, minimizing integration risks and associated costs.