Now in Florida and in final preparation for a launch is the eighth
Lockheed Martin-designed and built Global Positioning System (GPS) III space vehicle (SV08) for the
US Space Force. When launched it will join the operational GPS constellation of 31 satellites bringing critical positioning, navigation and timing to military personnel and civilians around the world. GPS III SV08 travelled on a US Air Force C-17 aircraft after beginning its journey by truck from Lockheed Martin’s Littleton (Colorado) facility and lifting off from nearby Buckley Space Force Base.
Malik Musawwir, Lockheed Martin Space’s vice-president of navigation systems, said: “With each GPS III shipment and launch, America’s GPS constellation grows more resilient and accurate. We are proud to continue enabling this critical national security mission through both spacecraft production and maintenance of the ground control segment, bringing a seamless experience to Space Force operators.”
After the arrival of GPS III SV08 at Astrotech Space Operations in Florida, next in the queue are GPS III SV09 and SV10, which are ‘standing by for call-up’. Once launched, these two satellites will round out the current GPS III block, and the programme will enter its extended phase of modernisation known as GPS III Follow-On (GPS IIIF).
Continued investment in building and expansion of the GPS constellation is deemed critical, especially as nearly half its satellites are operating well beyond their originally intended design lives. Additional GPS satellites are needed to secure seamless global coverage, and GPS IIIFs will also bring ‘even more advanced capabilities to bear’.