The larger award is a $96 million task order for the GPS IIIF Contingency Operations System. Lockheed Martin will modify the existing ground architecture to control the payloads aboard the next-generation spacecraft.
A second task order, valued at $17.5 million, launches the first phase of the Architecture Evolution Plan x86 program. The three-phase technology refresh will update GPS ground hardware and software through a more modular architecture.
“Over the past decade, Lockheed Martin has consistently delivered and sustained operational GPS ground capability, evolving the system to meet the most demanding warfighter and commercial requirements,” said Christina Mancinelli, vice president of Global Communications & Navigation at Lockheed Martin. She said the latest work reflected the company’s commitment to delivering a reliable and secure GPS enterprise for defense and civilian users.
The upgrades will support the deployment of more GPS IIIF satellites carrying the encrypted M-Code military signal. M-Code is designed to improve anti-jamming capability and signal resilience for U.S. forces operating in contested environments.
The ground network will continue to provide positioning, navigation and timing data for civilian applications. GPS services are used across transportation, finance, telecommunications and utility management.
The awards build on Lockheed Martin’s work under the Space Force’s GPS Control Segment Sustainment contract. They also follow a separate $105 million contract awarded in April for launch, early-orbit and disposal support for GPS IIIF spacecraft.
The latest contracts come after the final GPS III satellite was launched in April. Lockheed Martin said that mission brought the operational constellation to its highest capability level to date.
Lockheed Martin is now manufacturing the GPS IIIF generation, which is designed to deliver better accuracy and 63 times greater resilience than legacy satellites. The ground-system upgrades will provide the infrastructure needed to integrate and operate those spacecraft.
