GPS satellite launches as part of modernization of constellation
NewsDecember 17, 2024
CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION, Fla. The seventh Lockheed Martin-designed and -built GPS III space vehicle, GPS III SV07, launched from Cape Canaveral on Monday, December 16, into orbit 12,550 miles above Earth.
GPS III SV07 was launched on an accelerated timeline and now joins the U.S. Space Force's ongoing modernization of the GPS constellation. The team, according to the Lockheed Martin announcement of the launch, completed signal acquisition of GPS III SV07, and the spacecraft is currently under operational control at Lockheed Martin's Denver Launch & Checkout Operations Center until its official acceptance into the current operational GPS 31-satellite constellation.
All GPS III space vehicles, including SV07, are equipped with M-code, which is a new, advanced signal intended to improve antijamming and antispoofing capabilities plus increase secure access to military GPS signals for U.S. and allied armed forces. GPS satellites enable navigation for critical U.S. military assets, operational troops, and field-supply deliveries while also powering global financial markets, transportation, utilities, agriculture, construction, and ride-share services.
"We supported our customer's vision for an accelerated launch of this GPS satellite, ultimately helping them achieve quick-turn operational readiness," said Malik Musawwir, vice president of Navigation Systems at Lockheed Martin. "Time is of the essence for national security missions, and we quickly delivered this critical capability for the Space Force to support rapid demand for secure, advanced positioning, navigation, and timing signals."
