Air Force May Be Able to Fix Problem with Latest GPS Satellite
U.S. Air Force officials have confirmed that signal anomalies on the latest GPS satellite — IIR-20(M), also identified as SVN49/PRN01 — are related to the interface to the new L5 payload also on board.
But the problem appears fixable.
The spacecraft has remained is still in early orbit checkout since its launch on March 24 and has not been introduced into the operational constellation.
A dedicated response team of Air Force and contractor experts are wrapping up their investigation of the cause of the L1 signal anomalies, which were detected on April 9. The signal distortion was initially observed as an elevation-dependent bias in ranging measurements from GPS monitor stations.
By Inside GNSS