The U.S. Space Force has awarded Lockheed Martin a $514 million contract to build GPS IIIF Space Vehicles 23 and 24, bringing its total GPS IIIF commitment to 14 spacecraft.
With legacy spacecraft past their intended design life, the award marks a vital step in continued modernization of the constellation. The 14 upcoming GPS IIIF satellites will deliver advanced, reliable positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) capabilities for both military and civilian users.
IIIF capabilities include:
The Regional Military Protection capability that provides a 63-fold increase in anti-jam capabilities, allowing warfighters to access strong GPS signals in contested environments
Additional M-code-enabled satellites, allowing for secure GPS connection for warfighters
A digital navigation payload, increasing accuracy and reliability of IIIF spacecraft.
“Modernizing the constellation with highly resilient, next-generation space vehicles ensures warfighters have access to the GPS capabilities they require for their missions,” said Christina Mancinelli, vice president of global communications and navigation at Lockheed Martin. “We continue to invest in advanced technology, facilities and the people who are the driving force in the production of this spacecraft that help our military secure peace.”
Earlier this year, all Lockheed Martin-made GPS III satellites reached orbit. GPS III SV09 and SV10 each launched on accelerated timelines, bringing unprecedented levels of resiliency to the constellation.
The GPS constellation provides critical positioning, navigation and timing capabilities to key warfighter platforms made by Lockheed Martin. For example, the F‑35 uses GPS to determine its exact location, keep its systems perfectly synchronized, and share real‑time position data with other assets, enabling autonomous navigation and pinpoint strike capabilities.
Similarly, the UH-60 Black Hawk employs GPS to navigate accurately, deconflict with ground and air forces, and deliver cargo or weapons with high precision, enhancing mission safety and effectiveness.
For civilians, the GPS constellation underpins banking transactions, telecommunications networks, emergency‑response services, and everyday navigation. The new GPS IIIF satellites broadcast all civil signals — including the interoperable L1C and L5 — at greater accuracy and reliability.
Advanced design features speed and resiliency
GPS IIIF satellites are engineered for resiliency. Starting with SV13, these spacecraft are built on the evolved LM2100 Combat Bus, providing increased cyber-hardening, improved spacecraft power, propulsion and electronics. The LM2100 Combat Bus is also outfitted with additional size, weight and power to accommodate future capability insertions.
The company has already completed the core mate milestone — marking the official “birth” of a satellite — for three GPS IIIF satellites, with all other IIIF satellites in different phases of production. The company was also recently awarded a $105 million contract to continue modernization of the GPS ground segment. With these contracts, Lockheed Martin reaffirms its long-term commitment to a resilient, high-performance GPS constellation that supports billions of users worldwide.
Lockheed Martin continues to advance GPS IIIF production at its Denver area facilities, employing emerging technologies such as augmented reality and digital twins to accelerate build rates and ensure capabilities are delivered to the warfighter quickly.
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.
Lockheed Martin has received a potential $105 million firm-fixed-price task order from the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command to supportGPS IIIF launch and on-orbit testing.
The award covers services related to the Architecture Evolution Plan (AEP) operational control system. This includes support for launch, early orbit operations and eventual disposal of GPS IIIF satellites (space vehicles SV11-22). The effort is part of ongoing work to sustain and manage next-generation positioning, navigation and timing capabilities for military users.
Work under the sole-source task order will take place in Colorado Springs, Colorado, through March 2030. The contract is managed by SSC’s satellite communication and PNT office at Peterson Space Force Base. SSC obligated $13.4 million from fiscal 2026 research, development, test and evaluation funds at the time of award.
Lockheed Martin’s previous contracts supporting the GPS IIIF program include a nine-year, $1.36 billion contract in 2018 to produce the 11th and 12th GPS IIIF satellites, and a $509.8 million contract modification for GPS IIIF space vehicles 21 and 22 granted in May 2025. SV-21 and SV-22 are expected to be delivered by November 2031.
New GPS ground stations that are contracted by Raytheon Technologies to replace the current ground stations have been delayed until July 2025, the Pentagon’s testing office reported.
The Next Generation Operational Control System (OCX) is facing a new delay of 16 months, according to the 2023 Annual Report of the Director of Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E).
More than seven years behind schedule, the continuous delays have caused the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) to go over its yearly budget and have sparked discussions as to future budget allocations for the U.S. Space Force (USSF) to continue to control and enhance the GPS constellation.
“These delays increase the risk that U.S. and allied warfighters will be unable to conduct successful operations in future contested environments due to the lack of access to modernized GPS position, navigation, and timing (PNT) information,” the Pentagon’s testing office said in a statement.
The M-Code can now be broadcast on 21 of the 31 GPS satellites in orbit. However, it is only available to a small number of military personnel due to both the OCX issue and a lack of radios and receivers equipped to access it.
The Space Force has a Military GPS User Equipment (MGUE) program underway to develop new computer chip-carrying cards to retrofit existing platforms, such as aircraft and ships, so they can ingest M-code signals, as well as to develop a new handheld receiver. This effort has also experienced delays, according to a June 2023 report by the Government Accountability Office.
The 2024 DOT&E report notes that because of the delays in the development of the MGUE receiver cards, the Army and Marine Corps are now buying commercially developed receivers capable of ingesting the M-Code for fielding with ground vehicles.
Additionally, the DOT&E report cautions that because the OCX software is designed to be the basis for an upgraded system, OCX Block 3F, designed to control the planned next generation of GPS satellites called GPS IIIF, that effort also is likely to be delayed. The Space Force intends to launch the first GPS IIIF satellite in 2027.
GPS is the gold standard for precise positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT), impacting the lives of more than six billion users worldwide. The United States economy alone depends on the free, government-provided service across 900 million GPS receivers supporting vehicle navigation systems, general aviation, financial transactions, the electrical grid, precision agriculture, surveying and construction. The GPS enterprise must remain consistent and reliable, while keeping pace with emerging technology without interruption for the end user.
Space Systems Command (SSC) at Los Angeles Air Force Base in El Segundo, California — the U.S. Space Force’s space development, acquisition, launch and logistics field command — is responsible for maintaining and modernizing the GPS enterprise. The enterprise consists of three segments: the space segment, the control segment and the user segment. Each achieved specific milestones during an exciting and productive 2022.
A new MGue for warfighters is moving closer to completion. (Image: EvgeniyShkolenko/iStock /Getty Images Plus/Getty Images)
Space Segment
There are currently 37 GPS satellites on-orbit with 31 set healthy. The constellation requires 24 operational satellites for worldwide coverage and a receiver needs to receive transmissions from four of them to determine its position in three dimensions. GPS continues to operate impressively with an average 45-cm accuracy throughout the past year with the most precise day on record at 31.5 cm. The space segment of GPS modernization focuses on GPS III and GPS IIIF satellite development with significant milestones rounded out in 2022.
For GPS III, after the successful launch of Space Vehicle 5 (SV05) on June 17, 2021, it was set healthy (usable) on May 25, 2022. The significance of SV05 is its full operational capability of the improved civilian L2 (L2C) signal. L2C improves service speed for commercial users via access to two frequencies, improves accuracy when combined with legacy civil GPS signals (L1 C/A), and is less susceptible to ionospheric interference. SV05 is the 24th satellite enabled with the Military Code (M-code), providing worldwide M-code coverage. M-code is designed to give military receivers better defense against jamming, improved accuracy, a more secure and flexible cryptography architecture, and the ability to detect and reject false signals.
On Jan. 18, 2023, SV06 successfully launched into orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. The launch of SV06 marks a key step in the larger goal of modernizing the GPS constellation. Additionally, the 10th and final satellite in the GPS III fleet finalized production and has a target launch date of 2026. GPS III Space Vehicles 7–10 are in storage and available for launch.
The next generation of GPS satellites continues development. The October 2022 contract award for GPS III Follow-On (GPS IIIF) satellites will onboard additional capabilities. In addition to introducing new civil signals designed to enhance search-and-rescue efficacy and aviation safety, laser retroreflector array for precise ranging, and a fully digital navigation payload, the GPS IIIF satellites will offer a new Regional Military Protection (RMP) capability providing up to 60 times greater anti-jamming measures. A new port on the Lockheed Martin LM2100 Combat Bus supports a substantial increase in flexibility, providing rapid integration of payloads in response to emerging threats in space.
GPS Enterprise interrelated segments. (Image: Space System Command)
Control Segment
The Next Generation Operational Control System (OCX) will replace the current GPS Operational Control System (OCS), supporting the latest U.S. Department of Defense standards and practices for cybersecurity. The updated system includes a modernized and expanded monitor station network, improved anti-jam capabilities, and enhanced operational capability to control modernized military signals.
In March 2022, OCX completed its fourth and final legacy ground antenna element (LGAE) installation on Kwajalein Island in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. OCX Block 1 and 2 are undergoing Hewlett Packard (HP) Formal Qualification Test (FQT). This event will qualify much of the system’s previously certified mission software functions. The event will also demonstrate system maturity and readiness for system acceptance, operator training, and specific developmental testing milestones with both GPS space and user segments.
The next-generation control system, OCX 3F, will modify OCX Blocks 1 and 2 to use the enhanced capabilities of GPS IIIF satellites. OCX 3F received Milestone B and Acquisition Program Baseline (APB) approval from the Milestone Decision Authority (MDA) and was authorized to enter the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase in May. In November, the OCX 3F program deployed 3F mission software into OCX’s Near Operations Environment (NOE) for the first time after completion of the program’s first Integration Readiness Review (IRR). The IRR event ensures that the software meets integrity standards and receives approval to be integrated and tested on the NOE prior to software releases to the operational users. OCX 3F anticipates achieving operational acceptance in 2027.
The GPS III government and industry team recently core mated GPS III SV10 and nicknamed it “Hedy Lamarr” after the actress and inventor. (Image: Lockheed Matin)
User Equipment Segment
Among the arsenal of GPS user equipment, very few pieces have the technology to use the M-code signal. Maintaining a competitive advantage against the adversary requires use of these signals; the GPS Enterprise is focused on developing Modernized GPS User Equipment (MGUE) capable of accessing these signals. The MGUE program is a joint service program developing modernized M-code-capable military GPS receivers. The program is broken into two increments (Inc 1 and Inc 2). Both are designed to deliver secure PNT performance, allow navigation warfare operations, enhance anti-jam, enhance anti-spoof and anti-tamper, and enable Blue Force Electronic Attack.
As part of the multiple elements under the MGUE Inc 1 umbrella, L3Harris delivered its final Build 7 ground card to the government on Nov. 16, 2021, and completed regression testing on that kit in February 2022. The final Delta Security Certification and Approval were completed on April 13 and April 29, 2022, respectively. Development of the L3H Ground-Based GPS Receiver Applications Module (GB-GRAM-M) card, which delivers geolocation and precise positioning capabilities for space-constrained applications while providing increased security and anti-jam capabilities, is complete and available for services procurement. MGUE Inc 1 completed qualification testing for the aviation and maritime cards on Sept. 9, 2022, with updated software builds. This build allows the program to progress to 98% of the requirements verified and enables B-2 Bombers and Guided Missile Destroyers (DDG) to continue progress toward operational testing. Completion of this commitment means significant progress toward operational testing for stakeholders and warfighters.
MGUE Inc 2 held Preliminary Design Reviews for the Miniature Serial Interface (MSI) in summer 2022, bringing the project another step closer to finalizing the EMD phase. Once all closure and action items are completed for the reviews, the government will consider each event complete. Critical Design Review (CDR) is scheduled for this summer and will validate the system design and the ability to meet system performance requirements. MGUE Inc 2 continues to execute the second competitive objective under Phase I for the Joint Modernized Handheld component; the effort is moving closer to completion of the handheld prototype and will ultimately make for a more seamless transition to operations.
GPS ground antenna at Schriever Space Force Base in Colorado. (Image: U.S. Air Force)
Conclusion
The SSC’s mandate is paramount to maintaining our modern way of life. The space professionals dedicated to developing GPS technology are committed to delivering advanced capabilities to the warfighter, the civil sector, and the world. An interconnected world is ready for us. We’re on our way.
SSC is the U.S. Space Force field command responsible for acquiring and delivering the capabilities needed by warfighters to protect our nation’s strategic advantage in and from space. It manages an $11B budget for the U.S. Department of Defense and works in partnership with joint forces, industry, government agencies, academic and allied organizations to outpace emerging threats.
For analogous updates on the other three GNSS constellations, please see:
The three new GPS satellites will be delivered under the third production option of the GPS III contract
Space Systems Command (SSC), a division of the U.S. Space Force, has exercised its third production option valued at $744 million for the procurement of three additional GPS III Follow-On satellites from Lockheed Martin.
The contract option covers GPS IIIF Space Vehicles (SVs) 18, 19 and 20.
GPS IIIF will provide several next-generation capabilities to meet increased demands of both military and civilian users. Building on the technical baseline of satellites 01 to 10, the newer satellites will provide increased anti-jam capabilities for the military with the addition of a Regional Military Protection capability.
Precision ranging measurements will be enabled by a laser retro-reflector array and will address the consolidation of telemetry, tracking and commanding frequencies.
Additionally, GPS IIIF leverages major international collaboration with the Canadian Department of National Defense and other U.S. government organizations such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, and the U.S. Coast Guard Office of Search and Rescue (SAR) by hosting a new SAR payload.
This payload provides enhanced capabilities to the SAR mission with distress alert detection and location to 100 percent continuous global coverage and reduces location uncertainty to less than 5 km in support of 49 international partners.
Finally, the program will host a redesigned Nuclear Detonation Detection System that has a lower overall size, weight and power requirement.
“Along with our industry and government partners, the GPS IIIF team continues to add world-class capabilities that underpin U.S. national security needs to both our warfighters and civil users across the globe as the most utilized United States Space Force capability,” said Col. Jung Ha, GPS Space Vehicles senior materiel leader for SSC Military Communication and Positioning, Navigation and Timing.
The GPS IIIF SV11-12 satellites were included in the original GPS IIIF contract awarded to Lockheed Martin in September 2018 to build up to 22 GPS IIIF satellites. Under that contract, SSC exercised the first production option for SV13-14 in October 2020 and second production option for SV 15-17 in October 2021.
Artist’s rendering of a GPS III satellite. (Image: Lockheed Martin)
About Space Systems Command
Space Systems Command is the U.S. Space Force field command responsible for rapidly identifying, prototyping and fielding resilient space capabilities for joint warfighters.
SSC delivers sustainable joint space warfighting capabilities to defend the nation and its allies while disrupting adversaries in the contested space domain. SSC mission areas include launch acquisition and operations; space domain awareness; positioning, navigation, and timing; missile warning; satellite communication; and cross-mission ground, command and control and data.
The U.S. Space Force exercised its second contract option valued at approximately $737 million for the procurement of three additional GPS III Follow On (GPS IIIF) space vehicles (SVs) from Lockheed Martin on Oct. 22, 2021. This contract option is for GPS IIIF satellites 15, 16 and 17 (SV15-17).
GPS IIIF satellites build off the innovative design of Lockheed Martin’s next generation GPS III satellites (SV 01-10), which provide three times greater accuracy, up to eight times improved anti-jamming capability and increased resiliency, in addition to modernization, compared to legacy GPS satellites in today’s constellation. GPS III also adds a new L1C civil signal that is compatible with other global navigation satellite systems, such as Galileo.
“GPS IIIF satellites will add new capabilities and advanced technology to the GPS constellation, including Regional Military Protection (RMP); an upgraded Nuclear Detection Detonation System (NDS) payload; a safety-improving Search and Rescue payload; and an accuracy-enhancing Laser Retroreflector Array (LRA),” said Dave Hatch, Lockheed Martin’s GPS IIIF program management director. “The RMP capability further reinforces GPS III/IIIF as a warfighting system, providing up to 60x greater anti-jamming for our warfighters operating in contested environments.”
The GPS IIIF SV11-12 satellites were included in the original September 2018 GPS IIIF contract award to Lockheed Martin to build up to 22 GPS IIIF satellites. Under that contract, the government exercised the first GPS IIIF production option for SV13-14 in October 2020.
GPS IIIF SV13 and beyond will incorporate the company’s LM2100 Combat Bus, an enhanced space vehicle that provides even greater resiliency and cyber-hardening against growing threats, as well as improved spacecraft power, propulsion and electronics. This evolved bus incorporates many common components and procedures to streamline manufacturing. LM2100 Combat Bus vehicles are also capable of hosting Lockheed Martin’s Augmentation System Port Interface (ASPIN), which would allow for future on-orbit servicing and upgrade opportunities.
Today Lockheed Martin is close to finishing production on the original GPS III SV1-10 contract. GPS III SV01-05 have been launched and handed over to the Space Force for on-orbit operations. GPS III SV06-08 have been completed and placed in storage at the company’s facility waiting for the Space Force to call them up for launch. SV09 is a fully integrated space vehicle now going through final testing.
On October 26, 2021, the final GPS III satellite of the original GPS III contract – GPS III SV10 – completed an operation known as “core mate” to assemble it into a full space vehicle at Lockheed Martin’s GPS III Processing Facility. It will proceed into the vehicle testing campaign before year-end.
Alliance membership has tripled in past 13 months as the organization grows advocacy for ever-increasing importance of GPS technologies to the global economy.
L3Harris Technologies, a global aerospace and defense technology innovator, joins a core of companies committed to furthering GPS innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship.
As the newest member, L3Harris Technologies will work with GPSIA to promote the modernization of GPS and its impact on military operations, economic growth and technological innovation.
J. David Grossman
“With the addition of L3Harris, the alliance welcomes a company recognized globally for developing and advancing innovative uses of GPS to protect our nation’s national security,” said GPSIA Executive Director J. David Grossman. “Having now tripled membership over the last 13 months, GPSIA is in a position of strength to continue leading advocacy for the promotion, protection and enhancement of GPS, both in the U.S. and around the globe. L3Harris Technologies is an integral part of the deployment of next-generation GPS III satellites and we look forward to working with them to ensure this technology remains the gold standard for delivering positioning, navigation and timing functions to our military as well as a wide range of other sectors, including transportation, agriculture, electricity and finance.”
L3Harris Technologies has played an integral part in the story of GPS, as it has provided navigation technology for every U.S. GPS satellite ever launched. L3Harris Technologies is developing 10 GPS III satellite navigation payloads for the U.S. Air Force’s GPS III satellite program, four of which are already operational.
The company will also provide navigation payloads with fully digital Mission Data Units (MDU) for the U.S. Air Force’s GPS III Follow-On, known as GPS IIIF, satellites. The MDU will provide even more powerful signals and ensure flawless atomic clock operations.
“GPS technology is an important part of the modern world and critical for the warfighter,” said Joseph Rolli, L3Harris Technologies Positioning, Navigation and Timing.
“With more than 40 years of experience developing GPS technologies, L3Harris aims to continue to improve the system with a more powerful, reliable, and flexible signal. We look forward to joining GPSIA and its other industry leading members as we advocate for continued support of this incredible system,” Rolli said.
The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a Notice Advisory to Navstar Users (NANU) detailing the changes to the constellation now that the second GPS III satellite has joined.
The U.S. Space Force Second Space Operations Squadron (2 SOPS) issued an Initial Use (USABINIT) NANU for the second of the new generation of GPS-III satellites, designated SVN-75/PRN-18.
SVN-75 was launched on Aug. 22, 2019, and — having successfully undergone rigorous operational testing on orbit — has taken its place in the active GPS constellation with the slot and plane designation of D6.
Constellation changes
Artist’s rendering of GPS IIF satellite. (Image: U.S. Air Force )
SVN-45/PRN-21 is being re-phased from D3 to D2F replacing SVN46. Upon its arrival, SVN-46/PRN-11 will then be moved to residual status in Launch, Anomaly and Disposal Operations (LADO).
SVN-60/PRN-23 was decommissioned on March 2, eight and a half years beyond its expected service life. SVN-60 was the 12th GPS-IIR to go in to orbit, and began service on July 9, 2004.
L3Harris Technologies has reached a major milestone in the U.S. Air Force’s Navigation Technology Satellite-3 (NTS-3) project — passing the preliminary design review that defines the spacecraft’s path to delivery and allows the program to move to the next phase of development.
NTS-3 is an experimental program examining ways to improve the resiliency of the military’s positioning, navigation and timing capabilities. It will also develop key technologies relevant to the Global Positioning System (GPS) constellation, with the goal of future transition to the GPS IIIF program.
In collaboration with the Air Force Research Laboratory, Space and Missile Systems Center, and United States Space Force, L3Harris is combining experimental antennas, flexible and secure signals, increased automation, and use of commercial command and control assets.
Satellite NTS-3 closeup. (Illustration: Lt. Jacob Lutz, AFRL Space Vehicles Directorate)
“The NTS-3 vanguard is an experimental, end-to-end demonstration of agile, resilient space-based positioning, navigation, and timing,” said Arlen Biersgreen, Air Force NTS-3 program manager. “It has the potential for game-changing advancements to the way the Air Force provides these critical capabilities to warfighters across the Department of Defense. The commitment demonstrated by United States Space Force to partner with AFRL and support technology transition was a key element in NTS-3 being designated as an Air Force vanguard in September 2019.”
The Space Enterprise Consortium selected L3Harris for the $84-million contract in 2018 as the prime system integrator to design, develop, integrate and test NTS-3, including ground mission applications.
“We have moved from contract award to finishing an early design review in under one year, which is an amazing accomplishment for a satellite development program that normally takes twice that amount of time,” said Ed Zoiss, President, Space and Airborne Systems, L3Harris. “We have proven we can move quickly to support the Air Force’s go-fast mission requirements.”
L3Harris has more than 40 years of experience transmitting GPS navigation signals. The company’s technology has been onboard every GPS satellite ever launched.
The design improves capabilities over the 70% digital payload used for GPS III space vehicles 1-10
L3Harris Technologies passed the critical design review (CDR) phase in development of a fully digital navigation payload for the U.S. Air Force’s GPS III Follow-On satellites.
CDR is a major milestone demonstrating the new payload’s design — specifically the fully digital Mission Data Unit (MDU) — is mature enough to proceed to final development, test and delivery.
The new MDU is the heart of the navigation payload and will provide more powerful signals and ensure flawless atomic clock operations. It will also provide improved capabilities over L3Harris’ 70% digital MDU used for GPS III space vehicles 1-10 (GPS III SV 1-10).
“The digital payload is flexible enough to adapt to advances in GPS technology and future warfighter mission needs,” said Ed Zoiss, president, Space and Airborne Systems, L3Harris. “Proceeding to the next stage in the GPS IIIF navigation payload development process moves the program closer to supporting evolving Air Force mission requirements.”
In September 2018, the Air Force selected GPS III prime contractor Lockheed Martin to build up to 22 GPS IIIF satellites, which add even more capabilities and technology to the new GPS III satellites — including the new fully digital navigation payload. GPS IIIF SV11 and 12 are currently under contract.
L3Harris is in a production cadence, having delivered to Lockheed Martin in July the eighth of 10 navigation payloads for the first 10 GPS III satellites.
GPS III SV 01 and 02 launched in December 2018 and August 2019 respectively, and are performing well on orbit. GPS III SV03 is expected to launch in April.
The remaining payloads are in various stages of integration with the satellites in Lockheed’s Colorado facility. L3Harris has provided navigation technology for every U.S. GPS satellite ever launched.
By Colonel John Claxton Chief, PNT Mission Integration, Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center
Image: USAF
The Global Positioning System has provided the citizens of the United States and the world the gold standard for positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) for the past 40 years. These days, GPS is seamlessly integrated into our daily lives in ways that we hardly notice. In fact, most of us expect GPS to be available in much the same way that our lights come on when we flip a switch or water comes out when we use the kitchen faucet.
None of this is easy, however, and wouldn’t happen if it wasn’t for the incredible work and communication by the members of the GPS Program Office and our terrific enterprise partners. During the next 18–24 months, the GPS enterprise will deliver the new and more powerful modernized GPS III capabilities across all segments of the system, which have been in the works and promised for the past 8–10 years. As we transition to the Space and Missile Systems Center’s (SMC) 2.0, this is a very exciting time for the GPS program. Below are some updates on our major programs.
Program Updates
GPS III. The space segment of modernized GPS has reached our goals from 2018, and then some. SV01 “Vespucci” launched on Dec. 23, 2018, heralded by celebrations across the GPS community. The GPS III team was honored to share this event with so many giants of the GPS world. We completed space vehicle (SV) 01’s On-Orbit Checkout Test in July, meeting and exceeding all performance objectives, and plan to transfer SV01 Satellite Control Authority from SMC to the 14th Air Force by the end of the year. SV01 then begins operational testing and is expected to be certified for full operations in April 2020.
SV02 “Magellan” launched on Aug. 22 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Medium rocket — the last Delta of its class — to much fanfare and celebration as well. We completed SV02 orbit raising and initial checkout in early September, and Magellan is next in line to transition to operations in 2020.
We received delivery of SV03 and SV04 from Lockheed Martin Space Systems on May 16 and Sept. 10, respectively, with launches targeted for March and July 2020.
Challenges remain — this business is hard — but the GPS III team is focused on delivering capability: improving and streamlining the largest big-satellite production line in the Department of Defense and driving our launch campaign to bring modernized capabilities, higher power performance, and the shared international L1C signal to the GPS-using world.
Figure 1. Mature Glonass-M satellites show improved cesium frequency standards performance in terms of daily stability. (Image: Roscosmos)
GPS IIIF. The GPS III Follow-On program looks to continue the success of GPS III as it moves forward in production of the first two GPS IIIF satellites. The program is well into a year-long set of detailed design reviews projected to conclude in March 2020. With Lockheed Martin as the prime contractor for both GPS satellite programs, GPS IIIF can take advantage of production-line improvements learned from GPS III to significantly reduce assembly, integration and test timelines.
Additionally, the program is helping to shape SMC’s Enterprise Commonality Initiative: an effort focused on aligning common products and processes across multiple programs to improve quality, speed up delivery and lower costs. With plans to procure 22 satellites and a delivery timeline spanning 15 years, the program has implemented a technology-insertion strategy and partnered with the Air Force Research Laboratory to ensure a timely transition of new capabilities to meet future military requirements. It is great to see the progress GPS IIIF is making in delivering its new baseline capabilities along with the steps it’s taking toward future capability insertion. The first GPS IIIF satellite launch is forecast for 2026.
GPS Next Generation Operational Control System (OCX). This past year, we used OCX Block 0, also known as the GPS III Launch and Checkout System, to launch and initialize both GPS III SV01 and SV02 and have been flying them in caretaker status until they are ready to be incorporated into the operational constellation. On OCX Block 1, all coding is complete, and the program focus is transitioning from development to system integration, test, and then transitioning the system to operations. Program investments over the past couple of years to change the program culture and modernize the factory infrastructure (often referred to DevOps) is paying off and yielding real-time metrics used to make data-driven decisions and produce higher quality code at a significantly faster rate. As a result, OCX is no longer troubled, but is now a typical large-complex software-intensive program that will experience challenges and risks. Fortunately, the right tools are in place to deliver this critical capability.
GPS Legacy Ground Sustainment. We continue to sustain our existing GPS infrastructure associated with the current Operational Control System (OCS). These sustainment efforts ensure GPS will continue to deliver the gold standard in PNT while providing the crucial on-ramp to incorporate the next generation of modernized GPS capabilities. We operationally accepted the largest OCS upgrade in GPS history. This upgrade, known as Version 7.5, virtualized the network, implemented two-factor authentication, secured connections to worldwide ground antennas, and improved encryption for mission data.
Challenged with a need to rapidly mitigate mission risk and provide enhanced cyber protection, the Red Dragon Cybersecurity Suite (RDCSS) emerged as the GPS OCS monitoring platform, providing data aggregation, analytics and multi-level Indicators of Compromise (IOC). It has evolved into an efficient and effective means to detect, investigate, and report security events and incidents.
Additionally, in August 2019 we established an RDCSS connection into the Space Enterprise Defensive Cyber Operations (DCO) solution, known as the Cyber Defense Correlation Cell for Space. This created a layered defense and a tiered DCO environment for protecting and sustaining the GPS mission.
GPS User Equipment. Over the past year our soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen continued testing and integrating mature, next-generation GPS receiver cards that provide more accurate and reliable positioning, navigation and timing. The first
Military GPS User Equipment (MGUE) receiver card was qualified this year, and the core technologies are being leveraged to develop many other types of GPS receiver cards for a wide range of DoD weapon systems. This exciting work is the culmination of nearly two decades of modernization efforts throughout the GPS enterprise.
In the near term, we are utilizing M-code-capable lead platforms — the USAF B-2 Bomber, USMC Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, USN Arleigh-Burke Class Guided Missile Destroyer and Army Stryker combat vehicle — to prove those capabilities. The second increment of MGUE now underway will focus on requirements for precision-guided munitions, a joint common modular handheld unit, as well as circuit cards and components for low size, weight and power needs. With MGUE, the DoD and services are poised to have enduring PNT solutions the warfighter can leverage for years to come.
GPS Integration Roadmaps
Integration of modernized GPS III capabilities into our major programs is a key focus of the GPS Program Office as we deliver capabilities to our warfighter and civilians users. We have continued to refine our plans and further integrate our programs and teams to ensure a seamless transition and continued high level of service.
Enterprise Road to Launch (ERTL). The Road to Launch team achieved an historic victory of firsts in December 2018. We successfully launched GPS III SV01, the first of its class. SMC partnered with SpaceX to launch SV01 aboard a Falcon 9 rocket — their first National Security Space Launch. SV01 reached orbit under the command and control of our first GPS OCX delivery, the GPS III Launch and Checkout System.
This colossal accomplishment of firsts was only possible because of the exceptionally close integration, tenacity and highly collaborative effort among all players in the community — spacecraft, payloads, launch, control, signal monitoring, acquisition, operations, test and many others. For SV01, the ERTL has now passed the torch to the Enterprise Road to Mission team — but the Road to Launch team is as busy as ever.
The mission planners, launch and orbital operations crew ensured SV02 reached medium Earth orbit with needle-threading precision in August; the team is implementing improvements based on experience as we prepare for up to three more GPS III launches in 2020; and we are already ramping up efforts to design the launch campaign for GPS IIIF.
GPS Enterprise Road to Mission (ERM). With two GPS III satellites now on orbit, it is now time to execute the Enterprise “Integration Playbook” we have developed and coordinated over the past year. The Contingency Operations (COps) modification upgrade has now been integrated into OCS on the 2 SOPS operations floor and is undergoing Developmental Testing with the GPS III SV on orbit. The program anticipates operational testing in January 2020 and Operational Acceptance in April 2020. All of our community stakeholders are ready, and with the COps modification to OCS in place, it is time to get the GPS III satellites into mission and start providing its new capabilities to our users. Over the next few months, the GPS III capabilities are expected to be operationally certified and ready for use.
GPS Enterprise Road to M-Code Mission (ERM-M-Code). With COps now in place, the next major delivery will be M-Code Early Use modification to OCS, installation of new M-code signal monitoring equipment at sites around the globe, modification of mission planning software, MGUE Increment 1 development, service lead platform integration efforts, and operationalization of space receivers. It is our continued objective to improve the ability of the Combined Space Operations Center, to respond to urgent PNT needs of the combatant commanders as they engage more sophisticated adversaries. We remain closely aligned with our peers at USSTRATCOM, AFSPC and our worldwide users across the Joint Service and allied team.
Conclusion
It has never been a more exciting time to be part of the GPS program and enterprise. Our outstanding government and contractor teams have worked so incredibly hard on integrating and communicating our programs to ensure the successful and seamless delivery of GPS III capabilities to both our warfighter and civilian users. It is a great world we live in today, and GPS makes it even better.
