NaviGadget

The fleet of Global Positioning System (GPS) Block IIR satellites designed and built by Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] to significantly enhance the overall performance of the GPS constellation has now accumulated 50 years of successful in-orbit operations.

GPS provides such essential services as situational awareness and precision weapon guidance for the military. It is also an information resource supporting a wide range of civil, scientific and commercial functions – from air traffic control to the Internet – with precision location and timing information.

GPS IIR satellites have been delivering precise navigation service to the U.S. military as well as civil users world-wide since the first successful launch of a GPS IIR satellite on July 23, 1997.

There are currently 13 operational Block IIR satellites within the overall 28-spacecraft constellation, including the first modernized IIR satellite recently declared fully operational for GPS users around the globe following extensive on-orbit testing of the spacecraft’s new military and civilian signals.

“GPS has not only proven to be a national asset for our military, but has also become an important service for civil and commercial users around the globe,” said Dr. Don DeGryse, Lockheed Martin’s vice president of Navigation Systems. “We take great pride in the sustained performance of the GPS IIR satellites on-orbit and look forward to delivering greater navigation capabilities now that we are launching the modernized series.”

Designated GPS IIR-M, these spacecraft incorporate two new signals and enhanced encryption and anti-jamming capabilities for the military, as well as a second civil signal, thus providing military and civilian users of the navigation system with greatly improved capabilities…. read

• Lockheed Martin Global Positioning System Updates Enhance System Accuracy 10-15 Percent
• EADS, Lockheed team on GPS satellites
• Lockheed Martin And EADS To Cooperate On Satellite Navigation Standards
• Company develops system that uses GPS, GLONASS and Galileo Satellites
• Russia to Expand Glonass Navigation System

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 28th, 2006 at 7:56 am and is filed under gps navigation, misc news. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.