Tag: GPS
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Space Force Prepares New GPS Ground Control Program Less Than Six Months After OCX Cancellation
The U.S. Space Force is preparing a new effort to modernize the ground command-and-control system for the Global Positioning System, less than six months after the Pentagon canceled the troubled Next Generation Operational Control System, or OCX. A September 2 notice from the Space Enterprise Consortium marked “Coming” provides the clearest indication that the service…
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NASA Extends Starling Mission After Demonstrating GPS-Free Autonomous Satellite Navigation
NASA has extended its Starling spacecraft swarm mission through at least 2028 after a successful in-orbit demonstration of a navigation system that allows satellites to determine their position without relying on the Global Positioning System (GPS), marking a significant step toward greater spacecraft autonomy for future lunar and deep-space operations. The technology, known as Fast…
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NASA’s Starling Mission Opens New Space Navigation Frontiers
NASA’s Starling mission has marked another milestone in spacecraft autonomy by using a new system that determines a satellite’s position in orbit by referencing other objects in space, instead of relying on a navigational network. The FALCON (Fast Autonomous Lost-in-space Catalog-based Optical Navigation) technology demonstration is a step toward spacecraft being able to operate more…
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NASA Ships Shoebox-Sized Navigation Payload to Intuitive Machines for First Lunar Relay Satellite
Altus-1 is the first of a planned network of lunar relay satellites being developed under Intuitive Machines’ Near Space Network Services contract with NASA. The relays are designed to provide communications and navigation support for missions at the Moon, including the challenging lunar South Pole region where Artemis astronauts will land in 2028 and where…
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GAO Puts $9.5B Missile-Warning Satellite Under Scrutiny
Does the GAO’s 2026 Space Force Report Signal a Defense Space Acquisition Crisis? The Government Accountability Office has put a $9.5 billion price tag on the Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared geosynchronous constellation — and that number is still growing. The GAO’s annual assessment of major defense acquisition programs, released July 2, reviewed 13 Space…
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Lockheed Martin Wins $514 Million Contract for Two Additional GPS IIIF Satellites
Lockheed Martin has secured a $514 million contract from the U.S. Space Force to build two additional Global Positioning System (GPS) IIIF satellites, expanding the company’s total commitment under the program to 14 spacecraft. The award covers GPS IIIF Space Vehicles 23 and 24 and supports ongoing efforts to modernize the GPS constellation as older…
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Launch Preview: GPS, Progress, and Starlink missions to launch during busy week
Seven missions, four countries, and five launch vehicles make the week of April 20 one of the more diverse on the 2026 manifest. GPS III SV10 carries the week’s most technically significant payload in its first-ever GPS laser communications demonstration, while South Korea’s ADD vehicle attempts its first complete four-stage orbital flight. Rocket Lab pulls…
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SpaceX Launches Jam-Resistant GPS III Satellite for U.S. Space Force
SpaceX on Tuesday night launched an advanced, jam-resistant GPS satellite for the U.S. Space Force, marking the company’s fastest turnaround to date for a national security mission. A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the GPS III-SV09 spacecraft lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 11:53 p.m. EST (0453 GMT on Jan. 28), following a…
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Launch Roundup: GPS, Starlink, Electron launches scheduled for last week of January
The last week of January has a busy slate of orbital launches, with flights from Florida, California, New Zealand, and possibly China on the schedule. SpaceX plans to close out the month with the GPS III SV09 mission, along with up to three Starlink launches, while Rocket Lab’s “Bridging the Swarm” mission is being prepared…
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TrustPoint Demonstrates GPS-Independent Time Transfer for LEO Navigation System
TrustPoint said it has completed a key ground-to-space time-transfer and tracking demonstration for its Low Earth Orbit Navigation System (LEONS), a milestone the company described as advancing its goal of offering a commercial, GPS-independent positioning, navigation and timing service. The work was carried out under the SpaceWERX Alternative PNT (AltPNT) Challenge, according to a Jan.…