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 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.
Harris has already provided MDUs and payloads for the first 10 GPS III satellites, one of which has been declared “available for launch” and the second of which is completing its testing. The other eight are in various stages of production assembly.
Payloads for the satellites 11 and beyond bring further signal transmit capabilities, providing more powerful signals and built-in flexibility to adapt to advances in GPS technology, as well as future changes in mission needs.
The new MDU that will eventually go aboard satellites 11+ “can be upgraded incrementally over its mission life due to built-in adaptability,” according to a Harris spokesperson.
GPS OCX
The U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center has accepted delivery of the GPS Next Generation Operational Control System (GPS OCX) Launch and Checkout System (LCS) baseline from Raytheon Intelligence and Information Systems. Also known as Block 0, LCS demonstrated conformance through test and analysis with all contractual requirements. OCX Block 0 is the foundation for Raytheon’s future Block 1 and 2 delivery, slated for 2022.
LCS is a fully modernized cyber-secure ground system complete with the computing hardware, operations center workstations, and mission application software necessary to launch the first GPS III satellite into orbit and perform initial on-orbit testing.
Mission operators are now using LCS in the GPS III Mission Readiness Campaign. The ground system is performing as expected during the rehearsals and space vehicle checkout.
Galileo Launch
A Galileo satellite undergoes its fit-check validation at the Spaceport. Flight VA240. (Photo: ESA/Arianespace)
As this magazine goes to press, final preparations are underway for Galileo’s quadruple launch on Dec. 12. The Ariane 5 rocket has completed its build-up at the spaceport in French Guiana and is moving toward payload integration and rollout to the launch zone.
The four 700-kilo (1,543-pound) Full Operational Capability (FOC) Galileo satellites have completed checkout and one-by-one verification of their interfaces with the payload dispenser that will release them once aloft in mid-Earth orbit.
They will soon take on fuel for their long space life.
The satellites will bring the Galileo operating constellation to 22, and, according to the European Space Agency, this will provide availability to users anywhere in the world for a high-quality position solution — defined as position dilution of precision (PDOP) less than 5 — 99.8% of the time.
The U.S. Air Force’s third GPS III satellite in production flow at Lockheed Martin’s advanced satellite manufacturing facility in Denver is now fully integrated into a complete space vehicle.
GPS III Space Vehicle 03 (GPS III SV03) followed the first two GPS III satellites on a streamlined assembly and test production line. Technicians successfully integrated the satellite’s major components — its system module, navigation payload and propulsion core — into one fully assembled space vehicle on Aug. 14.
GPS III SV03 was assembled in Lockheed Martin’s GPS III Processing Facility, a $128 million, cleanroom factory designed in a virtual reality environment to drive efficiency and reduce costs in satellite production. Now fully assembled, the third satellite is being prepared to begin environmental testing.
GPS III SV03 is scheduled to launch on June 30. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)
GPS III SV03 closely follows the company’s second satellite in production flow. GPS III SV02 completed integration in May, finished acoustic testing in July and moved into thermal vacuum testing in August. The second GPS III satellite is expected to be delivered to the U.S. Air Force in 2018.
The fourth GPS III satellite is close behind the third. Lockheed Martin received the navigation payload for GPS III SV04 in October and the payload is now integrated with the space vehicle. The satellite is expected to be integrated into a complete space vehicle in January 2018.
In August, Lockheed Martin technicians began major assembly work on GPS III SV05.
All of these satellites are following Lockheed Martin’s first GPS III satellite, GPS III SV01, through production flow. In September, the Air Force accepted and declared GPS III SV01 “available for launch,” with launch expected in 2018.
“GPS III is the most powerful and complex GPS satellite ever designed and built, and it’s now into a smooth production flow,” said Mark Stewart, Lockheed Martin’s vice president for navigation systems. “The real credit goes to the Air Force for all the Back to Basics work done in advance, reducing program risk for all the GPS III satellites going forward. We are looking forward to bringing GPS III’s advanced capabilities to our warfighters in 2018.”
Lockheed Martin is under contract for 10 next-generation GPS III satellites as part of the Air Force’s modernized GPS. GPS III will have three times better accuracy and up to eight times improved anti-jamming capabilities. Spacecraft life will extend to 15 years, 25 percent longer than the newest GPS satellites on-orbit today. GPS III’s new L1C civil signal also will make it the first GPS satellite to be interoperable with other international global navigation satellite systems.
Lockheed Martin’s unique GPS III satellite design includes a flexible, modular architecture that allows for the insertion of new technology as it becomes available in the future or if the Air Force’s mission needs change. Satellites based off this design are already proven compatible with both the Air Force’s next generation Operational Control System (OCX) and the existing GPS constellation.
The GPS III team is led by the GPS Directorate at the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center. Air Force Space Command’s 2nd Space Operations Squadron (2SOPS), based at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado, manages and operates the GPS constellation for both civil and military users.
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)
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)
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.
The GPS Operational Control System’s launch and checkout system will control launch and early orbit operations and the on-orbit checkout of all GPS III satellites. (Image: Raytheon)
The Space and Missile Systems Center announced that the United States Air Force has accepted delivery of the GPS Next Generation Operational Control System (GPS OCX) Launch and Checkout System (LCS) baseline from Raytheon Intelligence and Information Systems.
Also known as Block 0, LCS demonstrated conformance through test and analysis with all contractual requirements. OCX Block 0 is the foundation for Raytheon’s future Block 1 and 2 delivery, slated for delivery in 2022.
LCS is a fully modernized cyber-secure ground system complete with the computing hardware, operations center workstations, and mission application software necessary to launch the first GPS III satellite into orbit and perform initial on-orbit testing.
LCS forms the basis for the full system delivery, referred to as Block 1, which will provide higher accuracy and globally deployed modernized receivers, to ensure anti-jam capability for military users. It will also provide control of both legacy and modernized satellites and signals, including the new international L1C and modernized Military Code.
Currently, mission operators are utilizing LCS as part of the GPS III Mission Readiness Campaign. The ground system is performing as expected during the rehearsals and space vehicle checkout, giving the Air Force confidence in its readiness to support launch and on-orbit operations.
OCX has had numerous challenges delaying the delivery of this critical capability, and this delivery marks a significant program milestone providing the Air Force with a cyber-hardened ground system to support the launch and on-orbit checkout of the GPS III satellites.
“This is a major milestone for the program, and it keeps the U.S. Air Force on track to launch the first modernized GPS satellite into space next year,” said Dave Wajsgras, president of Raytheon Intelligence, Information and Services. “We have strong forward momentum on the program, and we will deliver the full capability in 2021.”
The first launch of a GPS III satellite is scheduled for 2018.
The U.S. Air Force has declared the first Lockheed Martin-built GPS III satellite “available for launch,” (AFL) ushering in a new era of advanced GPS technology.
The Air Force’s “AFL” declaration is the final acceptance of Lockheed Martin’s first GPS III Space Vehicle (GPS III SV01) before its expected 2018 launch. GPS III SV01 will bring new capabilities to U.S. and allied military forces, and a new civil signal that will improve future connectivity worldwide for commercial and civilian users.
GPS III SV01 now awaits a call up to begin pre-launch preparations. In the meantime, the advanced satellite is stored in an environmentally controlled clean room, where engineers can perform maintenance and continue to service the satellite.
New GPS Capabilities
The U.S. Air Force declared the first Lockheed Martin-built, next-generation GPS III satellite “Available for Launch” in 2018. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)
GPS III SV01 is the first space vehicle of an entirely new satellite design. GPS III is a next generation technology and capability leap over any of the 31 GPS Block II satellites that currently populate today’s operational GPS constellation.
Better accuracy. For military forces, precision is essential. GPS III signals will provide them three times more accuracy than any current GPS satellites. How accurate is that? We cannot get specific, but stretch your arms out, we are within that range now.
Improved anti-jam. It is no secret that future adversaries will try to nullify tools like GPS that give our military an edge in conflicts. GPS III’s powerful new signals have eight times improved anti-jamming capability, and the satellites’ nearly 70 percent digital payload will provide the Air Force with greater operational flexibility.
Stronger design. Space is a tough neighborhood and GPS III is built tough. GPS III comes with a more resilient design and a design life which can expand its operational life to 15 years. That’s 25 percent longer than the newest GPS satellites on-orbit today.
New civil signal. GPS III will be the first GPS satellite broadcasting L1C, a new, common signal being adopted by other international Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), like Europe’s Galileo. In the future, users of civilian GPS receivers will be able to connect to L1C from multiple GNSS constellations, allowing for greater connectivity.
Designed for the Future
One of the keys to Lockheed Martin’s GPS III is it was designed for today’s mission with an eye on tomorrow’s needs.
“As we designed GPS III, we knew that mission needs would change in the future and that new technology will become available,” said Mark Stewart, vice president of Lockheed Martin’s Navigation Systems mission area. “We wanted the satellite to be flexible to adapt to those changes. To do that, we intentionally developed GPS III with a modular design. This allows us to easily insert new technology into our production line.”
Future satellites — already with a robust, production-ready design — also would benefit from the inherent risk-reductions already proven out in GPS III, like compatibility with OCX and the existing GPS constellation. Significant work has already been completed on future requirements like an accuracy-improving Laser Retro-reflector Array and a Search and Rescue payload.
For Lockheed Martin, the completion of GPS III SV01 is a major milestone on a challenging development program to design and build the most powerful GPS satellites ever envisioned. With all major development risks behind them, the company is now in full production on ten GPS III satellites at its GPS III Processing Facility near Denver.
“Lockheed Martin’s GPS III team owes much of its success to the Air Force’s Back to Basics program,” Stewart added. “We are proud to partner with the Air Force on this important program and look forward to launching the first GPS III satellite in 2018.”
The GPS III team is led by the Global Positioning Systems Directorate at the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center. Air Force Space Command’s 2nd Space Operations Squadron (2SOPS), based at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado, manages and operates the GPS constellation for both civil and military users.
The second satellite of Japan’s Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) has started transmitting navigation signals. QZS-2, or Michibiki-2, was launched on June 1, 2017, and joins its predecessor QZS-1 (Michibiki-1), which has been in orbit since September 2010.
Both satellites have been placed into inclined geosynchronous, elliptical orbits, which enable extended satellite visibility periods over Japan and are characteristic features for this regional navigation system.
The third satellite QZS-3 was launched on Aug. 19, 2017, into a geostationary orbit. If all goes according to plan, a fourth satellite in an eccentric orbit will follow by the end of this year and complete the constellation.
Three of six new Lockheed Martin-developed receivers are now deployed at U.S. Air Force monitoring stations to maintain the accuracy of GPS satellite signals.
In June, the first Monitor Station Technology Improvement Capability (MSTIC) receiver became operational at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Upgrades continued at USAF monitoring stations at Kwajalein Atoll and Hawaii. These upgrades from early 1990s technology are part of an overall effort to modernize the current GPS ground control system, known as the Architecture Evolution Plan Operational Control Segment.
MSTIC software-defined radio technology replaces legacy receivers’ hardware-based application-specific integrated circuit platform. MSTIC leverages commercial off-the-shelf hardware without the need for custom firmware. Standard interfaces and architecture configurability simplify sustainment and enable MSTIC software to migrate to new hardware platforms as commercial vendors increase processing power, improve reliability and enhance cybersecurity. MSTIC enables remote application of mission-specific software updates to improve performance and enable reception of modernized GPS signals, according to the company.
The three remaining GPS Monitoring Stations will be upgraded with MSTIC receivers by the end of 2017.
The navigation payload before integration into the second GPS III SV, which now is in environmental testing. (Photo: Harris)
GPS III Payloads Delivered
Harris Corporation has delivered the third of 10 advanced navigation payloads to Lockheed Martin. The payloads will increase accuracy, signal power and jamming resistance for GPS III satellites. They feature a Mission Data Unit (MDU) with a 70-percent digital design that links atomic clocks, radiation-hardened computers and powerful transmitters, enabling signals three times more accurate than those on current GPS satellites. The new payloads also boost satellite signal power, increase jamming resistance by eight times and help extend the satellite’s lifespan.
The payload was integrated into GPS III SV03 over the summer. The first navigation payload is integrated aboard GPS III SV01, which is in storage awaiting expected 2018 launch.
Harris announced it is in full production and on target to deliver the fourth GPS III navigation payload to Lockheed Martin in fall. Harris is also developing a fully digital MDU for the U.S. Air Force’s GPS III Space Vehicles 11+ acquisition. The new MDU will be demonstrated in fall 2017 and provides even greater flexibility, affordability and accuracy versus existing GPS satellites.
Next GLONASS-M Readied
The Russian navigation satellite GLONASS-M 52 moved from ISS-Reshetnev Company’s assembly plant to the Plesetsk Cosmodrome launch site about 800 km north of Moscow in August. One of the system’s ground spares, it was built more than two years ago and stored awaiting launch. The satellite is due to launch in September.
There are six GLONASS-M satellites in ground reserve.
The U.S. Air Force has awarded Lockheed Martin a $45.5 million contract to provide military code (M-code) early use (MCEU) capability to the Global Positioning System (GPS).
Part of the Air Force’s overall modernization plan for the GPS, M-code is an advanced, new signal designed to improve anti-jamming and protection from spoofing — as well as increased secure access — to military GPS signals for U.S. and allied armed forces.
MCEU will provide command and control of M-code capability to eight GPS IIR-M and 12 GPS IIF satellites on orbit, as well as future GPS III satellites, which the Air Force expects will begin launching in 2018.
MCEU is envisioned as a way to accelerate M-code’s deployment to support testing and fielding of modernized user equipment in support of the warfighter.
The Military Code (M-Code) Early Use (MCEU) contract will accelerate deployment of command and control of M-code capability to GPS IIR-M and GPS IIF satellites currently on orbit, as well as future GPS III satellites (like GPS III SV02 above). (Photo: Lockheed Martin)
The U.S. Air Force’s MCEU contract directs Lockheed Martin to upgrade the existing Architecture Evolution Plan (AEP) Operational Control System (OCS), allowing it to task, upload and monitor M-code within the GPS constellation. The contract includes new software and hardware development that will be deployed in 2019 to worldwide ground facilities that support the Air Force’s GPS.
“When people think of GPS, they often think of the satellites that provide the signals, but do not remember the important ground system behind it,” said Mark Stewart, Lockheed Martin’s vice president for Navigation Systems. “We recognize the ‘ground’ is critical for any major space mission constellation and we are proud that we can help the Air Force with this part of their GPS modernization plan.”
The AEP OCS — maintained by Lockheed Martin under the GPS Control Segment (GCS) Sustainment Contract — controls the 12 GPS IIR, 8 IIR-M and 12 IIF satellites in orbit today. The company has successfully implemented several recent projects to modernize and sustain the system for the Air Force.
In June, Lockheed Martin deployed the first of its state-of-the-art GPS Monitor Station Technology Improvement Capability (MSTIC) receivers at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The software-defined MSTIC system replaces 30-year-old hardware, positioning the Air Force to take advantage of commercial off-the-shelf technology enhancements in processing power, reliability and cybersecurity in the future. Six Air Force AEP OCS monitoring stations around the world will receive the MSTIC upgrade by the end of 2017.
In February 2016, the Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin the GPS III Contingency Operations (COps) contract to upgrade the AEP OCS with new capabilities so it could support the more powerful, next-generation GPS Block III satellites. The COps program passed a successful Critical Design Review milestone with the Air Force in December 2016.
Also in 2016, under the GCS contract, Lockheed Martin completed the commercial off-the-shelf upgrade No. 2 (CUP2) project — part of a multi-year plan to modernize the AEP OCS’ technology and enhance the system’s ability to protect data and infrastructure from internal and external cyber threats, as well as improve its overall sustainability and operability. CUP2 is now fully operational and managing the current GPS constellation.
The second Lockheed Martin GPS III satellite completes a test simulating a strenuous launch environment.
The launch is the most strenuous part of a satellite’s life. To survive the extreme sound wave pressure and pounding vibrations generated by more than 700,000 pounds of thundering rocket thrust, spacecraft need a solid, reliable design if they hope to arrive operational on orbit.
On July 13, Lockheed Martin’s second, fully assembled GPS III space vehicle (SV) completed a realistic simulation of its future launch experience and passed this critical acoustic environmental test with flying colors, the company said.
During acoustic testing, GPS III SV02 was blasted with deafening sound reaching 140 decibels in a specialized test chamber equipped with high-powered horns. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)
During acoustic testing, the GPS III SV02 satellite was continuously blasted with sound reaching 140 decibels in a specialized test chamber equipped with high-powered horns. For comparison, that is about as loud as an aircraft carrier deck and human hearing starts to be damaged back at about 85 decibels, the company said. The test uses sound loud enough to literally shake loose anything not properly attached.
“With this launch-simulation test, we are talking about sophisticated, advanced satellite technology and electronics enduring tremendous forces and then working flawlessly afterward,” said Mark Stewart, Lockheed Martin’s vice president for Navigation Systems. “Passing this test with GPS III SV02 further validates the robustness of our GPS III design. We credit this success and risk-retirement to all the pathfinding work we accomplished early in the program.”
The GPS III SV02 satellite is part of the U.S. Air Force’s next generation of GPS satellites and will bring critical new capabilities to the warfighter. GPS III will have three times better accuracy and up to eight times improved anti-jamming capabilities.
Spacecraft life will extend to 15 years, 25 percent longer than the newest GPS satellites on-orbit today. GPS III’s new L1C civil signal also will make it the first GPS satellite to be interoperable with other international global navigation satellite systems.
GPS III SV02 is Lockheed Martin’s second GPS III satellite to successfully complete acoustic testing. The company’s first satellite, GPS III SV01 — which is in storage awaiting its expected 2018 launch — completed acoustic testing in 2015.
The GPS III SV02 satellite is now being prepared for Thermal Vacuum (TVAC) testing this fall, where it will be subjected to extreme cold and heat in zero atmosphere, simulating its on-orbit life. The satellite is expected to be delivered complete to the Air Force in early 2018.
GPS III SV02 is the second of 10 GPS III satellites Lockheed Martin is contracted for and is assembling in full production at the company’s GPS III Processing Facility near Denver. The $128 million, state-of-the-art manufacturing factory includes a specialized cleanroom and testing chambers designed to streamline satellite production.
Lockheed Martin’s GPS III satellite design includes a flexible, modular architecture that allows for the insertion of new technology as it becomes available in the future or if the Air Force’s mission needs change. Satellites based off this design are already proven compatible with both the Air Force’s next generation Operational Control System (OCX) and the existing GPS constellation.
QZS-2 L-band spectra, July 18, 2017, Weilheim, Germany. (Courtesy DLR)
Second QZSS Signal on Air
The successful launch of the Michibiki No. 2 satellite of the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) on June 1 has been followed by broadcast initiation. Researchers at the German Aerospace Center, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), have been observing the satellite from their ground station in Weilheim. They will provide a written analysis in the September issue.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency launched first Michibiki satellite of the anticipated four-satellite constellation in September 2010.
Air Force to Recompete GPS III Follow-on
The U.S. Air Force will launch multibillion-dollar competition between current GPS III contractor Lockheed Martin Corp. and former GPS Block I and Block II contractor Boeing Co. for as many as 22 new GPS III satellites. At press time, an industry day in was scheduled for July 20 in El Segundo, California, to solicit company input, according to a new draft Request For Proposals.
In 2015 the Air Force undertook the first phase of a now two-year process to determine whether to put the next block of satellites up for competition. An initial review “has determined that viable, low-risk, high-confidence sources exist to conduct a full and open competition” for a second phase starting in fiscal 2018, according to the draft.
Lockheed Martin is assembling the first 10 satellites of the Block III program. Formal delivery of the first satellite was scheduled earlier this year, delayed by of a series of now-resolved problems with the navigation payload, cracked capacitors and a subcontractor gaffe last year that resulted in the wrong part being tested.
The satellite, which passed all of its qualification testing and verification, has been placed in storage pending the results of an unrelated review of the propulsion systems used to boost military satellites into orbit. The plan remains to launch the first GPS III satellite by spring of 2018.
“Lockheed Martin is working closely with the Air Force on resolving any concerns about the mission readiness of SV01’s Propulsion Subsystem,” Eschenfelder said in February. “We are confident that this review will not delay the Air Force’s planned spring 2018 Initial Launch Capability (ILC).”
NAVIC Clock Failures Resemble Galileo’s
The seven orbiting satellites of the Navigation Indian Constellation (NAVIC, formerly India’s Regional Navigation Satellite System, or IRNSS) have been hit by problems with some of their rubidium atomic clocks, similar to difficulties encountered earlier by Europe’s Galileo program.
NAVIC G-1 launch April 2017.
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) had announced in July 2016 that all three atomic clocks on IRNSS-1A, launched in 2013, had malfunctioned, rendering that satellite ineffective.
Now, reports indicate that four more atomic clocks on the other six satellites launched more recently are not performing as required.
ISRO plans to launch a replacement satellite called IRNSS-1H in July-August to compensate for the loss of IRNSS-1A, although it is yet to announce the failure of more atomic clocks, which has not incapacitated the clock systems on the other six satellites.
The European Space Agency reported in January that anomalies had occurred in three of 36 Rubidium Atomic Frequency Standard (RAFS) clocks in the 18-satellite Galileo system, although none of the satellites were affected. ESA had said, “These failures all seem to have a consistent signature, linked to probable short circuits, and possibly a particular test procedure performed on the ground.”
ISRO has nine satellites indented for IRNSS. While seven satellites make up the Indian regional navigation constellation, the other two were indented as backup in the event of failure. Each satellite has three atomic clocks, one the primary timekeeper and the other two acting as backup.
“Measures are being taken to correct the problems caused by the clocks in the launch of future satellites. The atomic clocks to be used in the other satellites have been modified to prevent malfunction,” a senior official in the programme said.
ISRO chairman Kumar has indicated the number of satellites could go up from the originally envisaged seven to 11 but it is not clear if this is a consequence of the failing clocks. “We are set to launch more navigational satellites. They are in the process of approvals and clearances,” he said recently, and added efforts were on to revive the IRNSS-1A clocks.”
In Europe, the European Space Agency and an industrial partner-supplier have agreed that “some refurbishment is required on the remaining RAFS clocks” to be used in new Galileo satellites.
Look to GSA Service Centre for Galileo Advisories
In July, a wide transfer of responsibilities for the Galileo constellation took place, from the European Space Agency (ESA) to the European Global Navigation Satellite System Agency (GSA) of the European Union. Key among these was a handover of communications responsibilities to manufacturers, users and markets.
All parties can now find updates in the form of Notice Advisory to Galileo Users (NAGUs) at the GSA’s Galileo Service Centre, www.gsc-europa.eu/system-status/user-notifications.
NAGUs are issued as new satellites are launched and when satellites become ready for service provision, or to give advance warning of signal unavailability owing to planned maintenance or testing activities, or to notify users of unplanned outages and then to inform them when satellites become active again.
“Keeping our users in the picture on planned activities that might lead to satellite unavailabilityhas helped them to plan their own test activities and to prepare future products,” said Rafael Lucas Rodriguez, ESA’s Galileo services engineering manager.
A total of 189 NAGUs were issued under ESA oversight in the last four years, as the constellation grew to its current 18 satellites. The user base increased from 86 to 774 registered users on the European GNSS Service Centre website as companies worked to prepare Galileo-ready products. In December 2016, Galileo’s Initial Services began operating.
One regular consumer of Galileo NAGUs, Broadcom, uses them to organize engineering activities and tests as well as input them into its orbit prediction engine for its Long Term Orbits products.
Harris Corporation has delivered the third of 10 advanced navigation payloads to Lockheed Martin, which will increase accuracy, signal power and jamming resistance for U.S. Air Force GPS III satellites.
The navigation payload before integration into the second GPS III SV, which now is in environmental testing. (Photo: Harris)
The advanced navigation payloads feature a Mission Data Unit (MDU) with a unique 70-percent digital design that links atomic clocks, radiation-hardened computers and powerful transmitters — enabling signals three times more accurate than those on current GPS satellites.
The new payloads also boost satellite signal power, increase jamming resistance by eight times and help extend the satellite’s lifespan.
The payload is expected to be integrated into GPS III Space Vehicle 3 (GPS III SV03) this summer. In May, Harris’ second GPS III navigation payload was integrated into GPS III SV02.
The first navigation payload is integrated aboard GPS III SV01, which has now completed rigorous testing and is in storage awaiting its expected 2018 launch.
The MDU performs the primary mission of the GPS satellite, which is generation of the navigation signals and data that provide precise time information to users on a continuous basis. (Photo: Harris)
“We are now in full production and on target to deliver the fourth GPS III navigation payload to Lockheed Martin this fall,” said Bill Gattle, president, Harris Space and Intelligence Systems. “Our payloads help U.S. and allied soldiers complete their missions, enable billions of dollars in commerce and benefit the everyday lives of millions of people around the world.”
Harris has a long legacy of expertise in creating and sending GPS signals, extending back to the mid-’70s — providing navigation technology for every U.S. GPS satellite ever launched.
Harris is also developing a fully digital MDU for the U.S. Air Force’s GPS III Space Vehicles 11+ acquisition. This new MDU will be demonstrated in fall 2017 and provides even greater flexibility, affordability and accuracy versus existing GPS satellites.
Harris navigation payloads are already integrated in the second GPS III space vehicle, now in environmental testing, and the first GPS III satellite (pictured here), expected to launch in 2018. (Photo courtesy Lockheed Martin)
Preliminary construction is underway on a new, $350 million Lockheed Martin facility that will produce next-generation satellites.
The new facility, located on the company’s Waterton Canyon campus near Denver, is the latest step in an ongoing transformation, infused with innovation to provide future missions at reduced cost and cycle time, the company said.
The new Gateway Center, slated for completion in 2020, includes a state-of-the-art high bay clean room capable of simultaneously building a spectrum of satellites from micro to macro.
Spacecraft now in production at the site include the Air Force’s GPS III satellites (in the GPS III Processing Facility), NASA’s InSight Mars lander, NOAA’s GOES-R Series weather satellites and commercial communications satellites.
The facility’s paperless, digitally-enabled production environment incorporates rapidly-reconfigurable production lines and advanced test capability.
It includes an expansive thermal vacuum chamber to simulate the harsh environment of space, an anechoic chamber for highly perceptive testing of sensors and communications systems and an advanced test operations and analysis center.
The Gateway Center will be certified to security standards required to support vital national security missions.
“This is our factory of the future: agile, efficient and packed with innovations,” said Rick Ambrose, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Space Systems. “We’ll be able to build satellites that communicate with front-line troops, explore other planets and support unique missions.”
“You could fit the Space Shuttle in the high bay with room to spare,”Ambrose said. “That kind of size and versatility means we’ll be able to maximize economies of scale, and with all of our test chambers under one roof, we can streamline and speed production.”
Lockheed Martin expects the construction effort to employ a total of 1,500 contractors during the three-year construction phase. Lockheed Martin has added more than 750 jobs to its Colorado workforce since 2014, and has about 350 job openings in the Denver area alone.
Lockheed Martin’s planned satellite integration facility, the Gateway Center, is slated for completion in 2020. (Photo: Lockheed Martin.}
The building will accommodate that recent growth and new future projects. State and local officials in Colorado have helped strengthen the aerospace industry and foster an environment that helps aerospace companies thrive and grow.
“Aerospace is an engine of innovation and growth for America, and we’re investing in infrastructure and technology to help strengthen the nation’s leadership in military and commercial space and scientific exploration,” added Ambrose. “We’re transforming every aspect of our operations to help our customers stay ahead of a rapidly-changing landscape. The Gateway Center, coupled with advancements in 3D printing, virtual reality design and smart payloads, will deliver game-changing innovations while saving our customers time and money.”
Lockheed Martin’s Waterton Canyon campus has been a hub of space innovation since the 1950s, with more than 4,000 employees and a wide range of industry-leading design, manufacturing and test facilities on site.
Companies selected by Lockheed Martin for the project include Hensel Phelps as the general contractor, Matrix PDM Engineering and Dynavac for thermal vacuum chamber design and construction, and ETS-Lindgren for anechoic chamber design and construction.
In a specialized cleanroom designed to streamline satellite production, Lockheed Martin is in full production building GPS III — the world’s most powerful GPS satellite, according to the company. The company’s second GPS III satellite is now assembled and preparing for environmental testing, and the third satellite is close behind, having just received its navigation payload.
In May 2017, the U.S. Air Force’s second GPS III satellite was fully assembled and entered into Space Vehicle (SV) single line flow.
In May, the U.S. Air Force’s second GPS III satellite was fully assembled and entered into Space Vehicle (SV) single line flow when Lockheed Martin technicians successfully integrated its system module, propulsion core and antenna deck. GPS III SV02 smoothly came together through a series of carefully-orchestrated manufacturing maneuvers utilizing a 10-ton crane.
GPS III SV02 is part of the Air Force’s next generation of GPS satellites, which have three times better accuracy and up to eight times improved anti-jamming capabilities. Spacecraft life will extend to 15 years, 25 percent longer than the newest GPS satellites on-orbit today.
“Now fully-integrated, GPS III SV02 will begin environmental testing this summer to ensure the satellite is ready for the rigors of space,” said Mark Stewart, vice president of Navigation Systems for Lockheed Martin. “This testing simulates harsh launch and space environments the satellite will endure, and further reduces any risk prior to it being available for launch in 2018.”
A Factory Full of GPS III Satellites
Right behind GPS III SV02, eight more contracted GPS III satellites are moving through production flow at Lockheed Martin’s nearly 40,000 sq. ft., state-of-the-art GPS III Processing Facility near Denver.
GPS III SV03 recently completed initial power on of its bus, which contains the electronics that operate the satellite. The company received SV03’s navigation payload from its supplier, Harris Corporation, in May. After further system testing, SV03 will be ready for full integration later this fall.
GPS III SV04’s major electronics are being populated as it prepares for its own initial power on. This satellite’s navigation payload is expected to arrive and be integrated into its space vehicle before the end of the year.
Right behind the second GPS III space vehicle (GPS III SV02), eight more contracted GPS III satellites are moving through production flow at Lockheed Martin’s nearly 40,000 sq. ft., state-of-the-art GPS III Processing Facility (GPF) near Denver.
Components of the next six satellites, GPS III SV05-10, are arriving at Lockheed Martin daily from more than 250 suppliers in 29 states. To date, more than 70 percent of parts and materials for SV05-08 have been received. The company was put under production contract for SV09-10 in late 2016.
All of these satellites are now following the Air Force’s first GPS III satellite, GPS III SV01, through a proven assembly, integration and test flow. SV01 completed its final Factory Functional Qualification Testing and was placed into storage in February 2017 ahead of its expected 2018 launch.
Investing in the Future of GPS III
With multiple satellites now in production, Lockheed Martin engineers are building GPS III smarter and faster. Key to their success is the company’s GPS III Processing Facility, a cleanroom manufacturing center designed in a virtual-reality environment to maximize production efficiency. Lockheed Martin invested $128 million in the new center, which opened in 2011.
The company’s unique satellite design includes a flexible, modular architecture that allows for the easy insertion of new technology as it becomes available in the future or if the Air Force’s mission needs change. Satellites based off this design also will already be compatible with both the Air Force’s next generation Operational Control System (OCX) and the existing GPS constellation.
“From day one, GPS III has been a team effort and our successes would not have been possible without a strong Air Force partnership,” Stewart said. “GPS III will ensure the U.S. maintains the gold standard for positioning, navigation and timing. We look forward to bringing GPS III’s new capabilities to our warfighters and beginning to launch these satellites in 2018.”
The GPS III team is led by the Global Positioning Systems Directorate at the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center. Air Force Space Command’s 2nd Space Operations Squadron (2SOPS), based at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado, manages and operates the GPS constellation for both civil and military users.
