The US Air Force (USAF) has awarded a $238m contract to Lockheed Martin to build two more next-generation global positioning system (GPS) III satellites.
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The current GPS III programme will replace the current ageing GPS satellites in order to meet the emerging needs of military, commercial and civilian users worldwide. GPS III satellites will enhance the spacecraft’s design life and also add a new civil signal designed to be interoperable with international global navigation satellite systems.
USAF’s Global Positioning Systems Directorate director Col Gruber said the GPS is a global gold standard, providing accurate, reliable, continuous and free worldwide positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) services.
"As the need for more capability increases, GPS III will allow us to affordably sustain and modernise the constellation by providing increased capabilities incrementally to better meet current and future needs," Gruber said.
Lockheed Martin’s Surveillance and Navigation Systems line of business vice-president and general manager Mark Valerio said: "The government has mapped an extremely sensible acquisition strategy for GPS III and we are focusing on executing the programme to deliver these much-needed capabilities to billions of users around the world."
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By GlobalDataLockheed Martin has received the core design for the first GPS III satellite at its Stennis facility and is currently integrating the flight propulsion subsystem of the space vehicle. The integrated core propulsion module has to clear final assembly, integration and test in order to meet its planned 2014 launch. The USAF plans to build up to 32 GPS III satellites.
The fleet of Lockheed Martin-built GPS IIR and IIR-M satellites has surpassed 140 operational years on-orbit and the current GPS system is based on the company’s earlier Oscar and Nova satellites. Lockheed Martin received the contract for the first two GPS III satellites in May 2008, with an option to build ten more.
Image: GPS III is designed to meet the emerging needs of military, commercial and civilian users worldwide. Photo:Lockheed Martin.
