The U.S. Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center successfully delivered the fifth Global Positioning System (GPS) III satellite to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, April 6.
GPS III Space Vehicle (SV) 05 was successfully transported from the Lockheed Martin facility in Waterton, Colorado to the Space Coast Regional Airport in Titusville, Florida by a C-17 Globemaster III crew from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.
Now that the satellite has arrived at the Astrotech Space Operations facility, the latest addition to the GPS constellation modernization effort will begin final testing and checkout before the launch. While at Astrotech, it will undergo final post-ship functional testing, loaded with onboard propellant and subsequently encapsulated for launch. Once these items are accomplished, SV05 will be horizontally integrated with the first-ever SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle to be reflown for a National Security Space Launch (NSSL) mission.
Slated to launch in June 2021, GPS III SV05 will join the operational constellation of 31 GPS satellites, delivering enhanced performance and accuracy through a variety of improvements. Improvement highlights include increased signal protection, L1C signal interoperability, and the newest civilian signal, L5. As a crucial technological foundation for internet, financial, transportation, and agricultural operations, GPS delivers the gold standard in positioning, navigation, and timing services supporting U.S. and allied operations worldwide.
“SV05 is the third GPS III satellite shipped to the Cape in the last 14 months and marks a key step to our larger goal of GPS constellation modernization. As the fourth GPS III launch campaign with SpaceX, this NSSL mission is historic both for the first reflight of a Falcon 9 rocket and for being the 24th Military-Code (M-Code) satellite introduced to our constellation, the last needed to bring M-Code to full operational capability,” said Col. Edward Byrne, SMC’s Space Production Corps Medium Earth Orbit Space Systems Division chief.
The U.S. Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center, located at the Los Angeles Air Force Base in El Segundo, California, is the center of excellence for acquiring and developing military space systems. SMC’s portfolio includes space launch, global positioning systems, military satellite communications, a meteorological satellite control network, range systems, space-based infrared systems, and space situational awareness capabilities.