Following launch, GPS III SV09 entered operational control at Lockheed Martin’s Denver Launch & Checkout Operations Center until formal acceptance into the GPS operational control network. The satellite provides advanced security, anti-jamming features, and M-code signals, delivering improved accuracy and reliable navigation and timing in contested or denied environments.
“The launch of GPS III SV09 is an important step in bolstering the resilience of the GPS constellation,” said Malik Musawwir, vice president of Navigation Systems at Lockheed Martin. “By adding more resilient satellites to the constellation, we’re laying the foundation for the GPS IIIF era, which will provide 60-times more anti-jam capabilities. The ongoing investment in GPS III launches and additional GPS IIIF satellites ensures uninterrupted, precise navigation and timing for our forces, even in contested or denied environments.”
Each additional GPS III satellite enhances accuracy and signal resilience for both military and civilian applications, while sustaining the constellation as older satellites age. GPS III SV09 also carries a laser retroreflector array to improve Earth orientation measurements, and Lockheed Martin has completed production of GPS III SV01 through SV10 while continuing manufacturing of next-generation GPS IIIF satellites.
