Lockheed Martin-built GPS III satellite declared available for launch by USAF
NewsAugust 21, 2018
DENVER. U.S. Air Force officials declared the second Lockheed Martin-built GPS III satellite complete, tested, and ready for launch. The satellite is expected to launch in 2019.
GPS III Space Vehicle (GPS III SV02) will bring new capabilities to U.S. and allied military forces, and a new civil signal that will improve future connectivity worldwide for commercial and civilian users. The satellite's next step is for official call up for launch in Lockheed Martin's GPS III Processing Facility clean room in Denver. In June, the Air Force officially called up its first GPS III satellite for launch.
"The first GPS III satellite, GPS III SV01, was declared 'Available for Launch' in September 2017. It is now being prepared for shipment to Cape Canaveral, Florida for a launch before the end of the year," says Johnathon Caldwell, Lockheed Martin's program manager for Navigation Systems. "With two GPS III satellites now ready for launch, and the third GPS III expected to be ready by early next year, we're building strong momentum. These satellites will soon begin modernizing the current GPS constellation with new capabilities and more advanced technology."
Lockheed Martin is now in full production on ten GPS III satellites at its GPS III Processing Facility near Denver.
In June, GPS III SV03 completed Thermal Vacuum testing, strenuous environmental trials simulating operations in the harshest space environments. In May, the antenna deck was added to GPS III SV04, fully integrating it into a complete satellite ready to begin environmental testing.
Right behind GPS III SV04 on the production line, the fifth, sixth and seventh GPS III satellites are in component build-up. The fifth satellite already has its navigation payload and is expected to be fully assembled later this summer. To date, more than 90 percent of parts and materials for all 10 satellites under contract have been received.
