Frequency Electronics, Inc. (FEI) has received an authorization to proceed (ATP) on a new contract to provide master clocks and microwave sources for payloads on the next-generation GPS IIIA satellites. Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company leads a team that will build the IIIA spacecraft under a recently announced Air Force contract.
According to FEI, the value of the contract, when finalized, could exceed $10 million with more than half of the work to be completed over the next 18 months.
Frequency Electronics, Inc. (FEI) has received an authorization to proceed (ATP) on a new contract to provide master clocks and microwave sources for payloads on the next-generation GPS IIIA satellites. Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company leads a team that will build the IIIA spacecraft under a recently announced Air Force contract.
According to FEI, the value of the contract, when finalized, could exceed $10 million with more than half of the work to be completed over the next 18 months.
This contract supports the construction of the first two research and development satellites to be launched as part of a constellation of up to 32 GPS III satellites. The first phase may require add-ons to the initial contract, increasing the overall value of products to be provided by Frequency.
FEI and its principals have considerable expertise in GPS and space-borne atomic clocks. The company’s chief technical officer, Hugo Fruehauf, was the chief engineer for the design and development of the initial Block I GPS satellite. FEI also built a few units as a second source for Block II/IIA spacecraft.
In 2005, FEI received a $3 million, multiple year contract to develop and qualify an advanced atomic clock for possible deployment on U.S. navigation satellite systems.
