By Courtney E. Howard
SUNNYVALE, Calif. - Lockheed Martin is updating its global positioning system (GPS) Block IIR satellites, a fleet of which has achieved 50 years of in-orbit operations.
Spacecraft in the company’s modernized series, dubbed GPS IIR-M satellites, are designed to benefit the military with two new signals, improved encryption, and anti-jamming capabilities. Lockheed Martin’s offices in Valley Forge, Pa., and ITT Industries of Clifton, N.J., have teamed up to upgrade the GPS Block IIR satellites.
The GPS Block IIR-M satellite is a modernized version of the GPS IIR, which has been updated through the collaborative efforts of Lockheed Martin and ITT Industries. The first of eight units currently is in orbit.
Lockheed Martin is scheduled to deliver eight IIR-M satellites to the Los Angeles Air Force Base’s Navstar GPS Joint Program Office in the Space and Missile Systems Center. The first modernized IIR satellite, having recently passed on-orbit testing of its military and civilian signals, is currently among the 13 operational Block IIR satellites in the 28-spacecraft constellation.
The second satellite will lift off later this year from Cape Canaveral; the third is in storage awaiting launch by the end of 2006. Assembly, integration, and testing of the fourth satellite is in progress.
Lockheed Martin also is vying for the opportunity to build the upcoming GPS Block III systems, which are intended to improve space-based navigation and performance by taking advantage of the latest advances in anti-jam functionality, system security, and reliability.
For more information, visit www.lmco.com.
