The continued production and deployment of GPS IIIF satellites is aimed at maintaining reliable global coverage while adding new capabilities to strengthen the resilience of the U.S. GPS constellation. Lockheed Martin said the satellites include Regional Military Protection technology that improves anti-jamming capabilities by more than 60 times, helping military forces counter advanced electronic warfare threats.
GPS IIIF Space Vehicle 11 is the third satellite in the program to complete the core mate phase after Space Vehicles 13 and 14 reached the milestone last year. The company said SV11 is expected to become the first GPS IIIF satellite to launch.
“Core mate of SV11 showcases the production momentum behind the next-generation GPS IIIF satellites as we continue to invest in advanced manufacturing,” said Christina Mancinelli, vice president of global communications and navigation at Lockheed Martin.
“With three GPS IIIF satellites past core mate, we’ve taken pivotal steps toward accelerating production, ensuring we’re delivering critical next-generation resiliency capabilities to the GPS constellation at the pace warfighters need to protect our nation,” she added.
Lockheed Martin said SV11 is equipped with M-Code technology, which provides an encrypted anti-spoofing signal designed to strengthen positioning, navigation and timing capabilities for military users worldwide. The satellite also includes a new search-and-rescue payload intended to help first responders navigate to emergencies in remote areas.
The company said all GPS IIIF satellites beginning with SV13 will be built on its evolved LM2100 Combat Bus platform, which adds cyber hardening and upgrades to spacecraft power, propulsion and electronics. Lockheed Martin said the platform also provides additional size, weight and power capacity to allow future payload integration.
The satellites are being manufactured at Lockheed Martin’s facility in Denver, where the company said it is accelerating production through the use of augmented reality and digital twin technologies. Lockheed Martin said it remains under contract through GPS IIIF Space Vehicle 22 and has recently completed all launches of GPS III satellites.
