GPS III Archives - Page 2 of 4 - Inside GNSS - Global Navigation Satellite Systems Engineering, Policy, and Design

August 10, 2020

GPS III Advances with M, 4 and 3

The new GPS Military-Code (M-Code) Early Use (MCEU) hardware and software upgrade successfully took place on July 27 at the GPS Operational Control System (OCS) at the Master Control Station at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado and Alternate Master Control Stations at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

Read More >

By Inside GNSS
April 15, 2020

Farewell to a Great Generation: GPS IIA

The U.S. Air Force 2nd Space Operations Squadron has put the last operational GPS IIA satellite, SVN 34, into disposal cycle for April 13 to 20. This is effectively end of life, or space hospice if you will, for a satellite that has outlived its 7.5 year design span by 19 years.

The rite of passage brings to a close a 26.5-year era in which the IIA generation carried the gold standard of positioning 20,200 km (12,550 miles) above the Earth, circling the globe twice a day.

Nineteen Block IIA satellites, slightly improved versions of the Block II series (the first full scale operational GPS satellites), were launched from November 26, 1990 until November 6, 1997. The satellites were built by Boeing, formerly Rockwell Corporation. They broadcast the L1 C/A signal for civil users and the L1/L2 P(Y) signals for military users.

SVN-34, the last of its generation, was removed from service October 9, 2019 but kept on as part of the constellation as a decommissioned, on-orbit spare until April 13.

2SOPS GPS IIA
Second Lt. Kelley McCaa, 2nd Space Operations Squadron satellite vehicle operator, and Airman 1st Class John Garcia, 2nd SOPS satellite systems operator, set satellite vehicle number-74, the first iteration of GPS Block III vehicles, as healthy and active to users Jan. 13, 2020, at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado. The GPS Block III vehicles replaced the GPS Block IIA satellites, marking the end of a 26.5 year era. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Matthew Coleman-Foster)

In the disposal process, “We push the satellite vehicle to a higher, less congested, ‘disposal orbit’ to eliminate the probability of collision with other active satellites,” said Capt. Angela Tomasek, 2SOPS GPS mission engineering and analysis flight commander. “[Then,] the vehicle is put into a safe configuration by depleting the leftover fuel and battery life and shutting off the satellite vehicle transmitters so no one else can access the satellite in the future.”

“As we continue to manage the influx of GPS III and maintaining other vehicles in a residual status, we have to be cognizant of effective risk management,” Tomasek continued. “As SVN-34 continued to age, we had to manage its aging components and likelihood of having a critical malfunction. We are at a stage where we are confident in the robustness of the overall GPS constellation to remove the last remaining IIA vehicle.”

Once SVN-34 arrives in its final orbit, 2 SOPS will hand over full tracking responsibility to the 18th Space Control Squadron at Vandenberg AFB, California, where it will be treated and catalogued like every other space object, on April 20.

“This disposal marks the end of an era in GPS history,” said Lt. Col. Stephen Toth, 2nd SOPS commander. “There are senior leaders and long-time contractors [who] launched and operated the IIA satellites at the beginning of their careers [who] are now here to see it end. It is an opportunity to reflect on the legacy and heritage of 2 SOPS and GPS to see how far we have come.”

 

By Inside GNSS
April 8, 2020

GPS III Launch Delayed by Pandemic

The Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) announced Tuesday it would reschedule the launch of the GPS III SV03 satellite “to minimize the potential of COVID-19 exposure to the launch crew and early-orbit operators.”

Originally scheduled for late April 2020 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the launch is now projected to go up no earlier than June 30.

Read More >

By Dee Ann Divis
April 2, 2020

Space Symposium Moves to Fall in Colorado

The 2020 Space Symposium has been rescheduled for October 31—November 2 this year, to be held as usual at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. GPS in particular and GNSS in general always form an important part of the program. The annual assembly gathers leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs from the civil, commercial, military, research, and international sectors of the world’s space community.

Read More >

By Inside GNSS
March 31, 2020

GPS Ground, Space, User Segments and Cyber Security Move Forward Together

GPS got a twofer on March 27 with major advances for the ground segment and the space segment. The Contingency Operations (COps) program, an upgrade necessary to the Operational Control System for it to command and control the new GPS III satellites, was approved. And the second GPS III satellite to orbit was approved, a stage that should shortly be followed by it  becoming available to military and civilian users.

Both steps occurred upon receiving the U.S. Space Force’s Operational Acceptance approval.

COps has operated on a trial basis since last October, supporting the developmental testing of the GPS III ground and space capabilities. The trial period culminated in a fully mission capable rating from the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center’s Operational Utility Evaluation.

GPS SV02 launched on Aug. 22, 2019, and upon completing its test, COps took control of it, bringing it into the III fold along with its earlier sibling, GPS III SV01. Administering COps and in direct control of both satellites is the 2nd Space Operations Squadron at Schreiver Air Force Base, Colorado.

“Of all the programs that will be delivered this year, there are few that carry with it as significant an impact to the warfighter and civilian users as [COps] will. This is truly a remarkable leap forward for the GPS enterprise and the capability it provides, and I couldn’t be more proud of the team that came together to make it happen,” said Lt. Col. Stephen Toth, 2nd Space Operations Squadron commander.

Lockheed Martin built both satellites as well as the COps command and control program. The company is under contract to build up to 32 of the new generation and its follow-on version, carrying new technology and advanced capabilities in payloads made by L3Harris. The military advances aboard these satellites include the new military M-code, and COps is necessary to administer this signal.

19 previously orbited IIR-M and IIF generation GPS satellites can broadcast M-Code, as can GPS III SV01 and SV02. The third M-code enabled GPS III satellite should launch in April of this year. The military is getting very close to full M-code capability, which will occur when 24 orbiting satellites have it. Its operational availability is on track for 2020.

User Equipment Not Far Behind

The M-Code Early Use (MCEU) upgrade, delivered earlier this year, is a key part of COps, enabling the system to task, upload and monitor M-Code within the GPS constellation. It also supports testing and fielding of modernized user equipment, prior to the completion of the next-generation ground control system, or OCX.

The M-Code encrypted GPS signal enhances anti-jamming and protection from spoofing, and increases secure access for U.S. and allied military forces.

A key to enabling M-Code is a new software-defined receiver Lockheed Martin developed and is installing at all six Space Force monitoring sites. The M-Code Monitor Station Technology Capability receives and monitors M-Code signals.

Red Dragon Breathes Cyber Security

Finally, Lockheed Martin als0 delivered the Red Dragon Cybersecurity Suite (RDCSS) Phase III upgrade during the fourth quarter of 2019, dramatically improving Defensive Cyber Operations (DCO) visibility into GPS network traffic. Other add-ons include user behavior analytics to analyze patterns of traffic and network taps to improve data collections.

“GPS is an attractive target for our adversaries, so it was critical we bring our best cybersecurity defenses to the table,” said Stacy Kubicek, Vice President of Mission Solutions Defense and Security.

[Image above: Capt. Adam Moody, 2nd Space Operations Squadron Global Positioning System Operations Support flight commander, and Staff Sgt. Carl Ellinger, 2 SOPS GPS mission chief, review a checklist of procedures for a transfer operation at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado (U.S. Air Force photo/Dennis Rogers)]

By Inside GNSS
March 26, 2020

2SOPS Takes Charge of GPS III 01; Watch Space Ballet

The Second Space Operations Squadron (2SOPS) at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado officially took control of the second GPS III satellite in orbit on March 23. GPS III SV02 was designed and built by Lockheed Martin, with a payload provided by L3Harris.

A video rendering of a GPS III satellite gives a slightly vertigo-inducing experience of a ballet through space and above the Earth.

Read More >

By Inside GNSS
March 3, 2020

Air and Space Forces Want $100s of Millions More for GPS-related Priority Projects

When the White House submits its budget request for the Department of Defense to Congress every year, that is not the final word. The different military services also send Congress their unfunded priority lists, which detail the projects the White House chose to forego but, the services hope, Congress will add back in. This year several of those priorities are GPS-related.

Read More >

By Dee Ann Divis
IGM_e-news_subscribe