Lockheed Martin offers innovative solutions that connect and strengthen the world. On Tuesday evening, the company launched its ninth GPS III space vehicle (SV09). This addition enhances the Global Positioning System. It improves connectivity for civilian and military use, even in tough environments. This launch showcases American aerospace technology.
GPS III SV09 launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 11:53 p.m. ET aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The satellite launched successfully. It has completed signal acquisition and is now in initial operations. Lockheed Martin’s Denver Launch & Checkout Operations Center controls it. It will stay there until its acceptance into the GPS operational control network.
GPS III SV09 is designed for tough missions. It offers top security and anti-jamming features for military use. These capabilities provide smooth and precise positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) in challenging and denied areas. These are key to national security and defense.
The GPS III series of satellites offers:
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Three times better accuracy
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Eight times more anti-jamming power
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M-code signals for military use
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But aside from military use, every new GPS III satellite improves the resilience and accuracy of signals used by billions of people around the world. Critical civilian services rely on these signals. They are used in aviation, precision agriculture, emergency response, and telecommunication timing. The GPS satellites in use today are old. We require new satellites to maintain the global coverage. The next generation of GPS IIIF satellites will benefit from these developments.
“The launch of GPS III SV09 is an important step in bolstering the resilience of the GPS constellation,” said Malik Musawwir, vice president of Navigation Systems at Lockheed Martin. “By adding more resilient satellites to the constellation, we’re laying the foundation for the GPS IIIF-era, which will provide 60-times more anti-jam capabilities. The ongoing investment in GPS III launches and additional GPS IIIF satellites ensures uninterrupted, precise navigation and timing for our forces, even in contested or denied environments.”
Looking ahead, GPS III SV09 also includes a laser retroreflector array, which is a function of the satellite that will help to increase the accuracy of the orientation of the Earth in the GPS coordinate system. This will help to further enhance the accuracy and performance of the GPS system as a global utility.