DENVER, Aug. 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Air
Force's second next-generation GPS III satellite, built by Lockheed
Martin (NYSE: LMT), is responding to commands, under control and
now using its own internal propulsion system to get to orbit
following its successful launch this morning.
At about 11:01 a.m. ET, Air Force
and Lockheed Martin engineers at Lockheed Martin's Launch &
Checkout Facility near Denver
declared they had full control of GPS III Space Vehicle 02 (GPS III
SV02) shortly after the satellite's separation from its United
Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV rocket booster. The satellite,
nicknamed "Magellan" by the Air Force, began its rocket ride to
space with a 9:06 a.m. ET launch
from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
GPS III SV02 is now climbing towards its operational orbit about
12,550 miles above the earth under the power of its own Liquid
Apogee engines. Engineers at Lockheed Martin Space's Waterton,
Colorado facility are commanding
the satellite using elements of the GPS Next Generation Operational
Control System (OCX) Block 0.
"GPS III SV02 is receiving and responding to commands just as
planned. In the days ahead, we'll finish orbit raising to our
operational slot and then send the satellite commands telling it to
to deploy its solar arrays and antennas," said Johnathon
Caldwell, Lockheed Martin Space's Vice President for Navigation
Systems. "Once we are set up, we'll begin on-orbit checkout and
tests, including extensive signals testing with our advanced
navigation payload."
GPS III SV02 is the second GPS III satellite designed and built
by Lockheed Martin to help the Air Force modernize today's Global
Positioning System (GPS) constellation with new technology and
capabilities. GPS III satellites provide 3x greater accuracy and up
to 8x improved anti-jamming capabilities. GPS III also provides a
new L1C civil signal, compatible with other international global
navigation satellite systems, like Europe's Galileo.
The First GPS III Satellite Completes On Orbit
Testing
GPS III SV02 will be the second GPS III satellite in orbit and
the second GPS III satellite now being commanded from Lockheed
Martin Space's facility.
On December 23, 2018, the Air
Force launched the first GPS III satellite. Nicknamed "Vespucci,"
GPS III SV01 underwent months of checkout and thorough testing of
its advanced, new navigation payload provided by Harris
Corporation.
"GPS III SV01's performance exceeded expectations during
testing," Caldwell said. "On July 12,
we officially completed all On Orbit Check Out & Test
activities. We are excited to see this satellite move to the next
phase and perform in an operational environment."
That's expected to happen later this year once the first
satellite is handed over to the Air Force.
Thinking Ahead From the Ground Up
In preparation for this handover, in 2016, the Air Force awarded
Lockheed Martin the GPS III Contingency Operations
(COps) contract to upgrade its current GPS ground control
system – the Operational Control Segment (OCS) – to be able to
"fly" today's 31-satellite constellation, as well as the new,
more-powerful GPS III satellites, until OCX Block 1, still in
development, is delivered.
Lockheed Martin delivered the GPS III COps software upgrade in
May and it is currently undergoing preparations for
installation.
COps is the latest GPS ground control upgrade project Lockheed
Martin has had since it began sustaining the OCS in 2013.
In November 2018, the company completed the AEP 7.5 upgrade --
the largest architectural change in the system's history --
replacing significant code, hardware and software to improve the
system's cybersecurity capabilities and positioning the Air Force
to better operate in contested, degraded and operationally limited
environments.
In December 2018, the Air Force awarded
Lockheed Martin the GPS Control Segment Sustainment II (GCS
II) contract to continue to further modernize and sustain the
OCS through 2025.
In 2020, the OCS is expected to receive the M-Code Early Use
(MCEU) upgrade, which will allow control of M-Code, an
advanced, new signal designed to improve anti-jamming and
anti-spoofing, as well as to increase secure access to
military GPS signals for U.S. and allied armed
forces.
With GPS III SV01 and SV02 now on orbit, GPS III satellites
continue to roll off the production line at Lockheed Martin's
advanced $128-million GPS III
Processing Facility near Denver.
On May 27, the Air Force declared the
GPS III SV03 "Available for Launch" (AFL) and had the company place
it into storage waiting for a launch date. GPS III SV04-08 are now
in various stages of assembly and test.
In all, Lockheed Martin is under contract to build up to 32
next-generation GPS III/IIIF satellites for the Air Force.
Additional "IIIF" capabilities will begin being added at the
11th satellite. These will include a fully digital
navigation payload, a Regional Military Protection capability, an
accuracy-enhancing laser retroreflector array, and a Search &
Rescue payload.
Lockheed Martin is proud to be a part of the Air Force's GPS III
team. The GPS III team is led by the Production Corps, Mid-Earth
Orbit Division, 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.
For additional GPS III information, photos and video visit:
www.lockheedmartin.com/gps.
About Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security
and aerospace company that employs approximately 105,000 people
worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design,
development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced
technology systems, products and services.
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SOURCE Lockheed Martin