CAPE
CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION, Fla., May 30, 2025
/PRNewswire/ -- At 1:37 p.m. EDT
today, the eighth GPS III space vehicle—designed and built by
Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) —successfully launched from Cape
Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. It achieved signal acquisition
shortly thereafter.
Similar to its rapid response predecessor in December 2024, GPS III SV08 executed an
accelerated launch call-up, shipping from its cleanroom in
Colorado and undergoing launch
preparations in Florida in just
over three months, compared to the typical timeframe of several
months.
"Our team is thrilled to support another launch of a critical
GPS satellite, just five months since the last liftoff," said
Malik Musawwir, vice president of
Navigation Systems for Lockheed Martin Space. "This demonstrates
Lockheed Martin's ability to rapidly launch and deploy national
security space assets, and we look forward to putting the next two
GPS III satellites on orbit to further enhance this critical
constellation."
These GPS III satellites will play a vital role in providing
accurate and resilient positioning, navigation and timing (PNT)
capabilities to both civilian and military users, enabling critical
applications such as aviation, maritime, and land transportation,
plus search and rescue operations. For military users, the advanced
security features and anti-jamming capabilities of GPS III – and
the follow-on GPS IIIF – satellites are particularly crucial, as
they will ensure uninterrupted access to precise navigation and
timing data, even in contested or denied environments, thereby
supporting national security and defense operations.
SV08 is now under operational control at Lockheed Martin's
Denver Launch & Checkout Operations Center until its official
acceptance into the current operational GPS network.
Ground Operations for Space Security
In addition to
building the spacecraft at its Littleton,
Colorado facility, and providing early on-orbit operations,
Lockheed Martin plays a major role in the continuation and
maintenance of the modernized GPS ground segment—also known as the
Architecture Evolution Plan.
This architecture is core to operating the 31 active GPS
satellites on orbit, enabling them to provide life-changing PNT
capabilities that our modern world relies.
The ground segment underpinned by Lockheed Martin is responsible
for monitoring and controlling the GPS satellite constellation, as
well as providing navigation data to its users. It consists of a
network of monitoring stations, master control stations, and ground
antennas located around the world.
Most recently, Lockheed Martin has further enhanced GPS' ground
segment by incorporating M-Code Early Use into the system, which
allows for worldwide use of a specialized, secure military
communications signal by American and allied troops.
Once declared operational, GPS III SV08 will be the eighth GPS
III satellite in space with boosted M-code, strengthening
navigation, precision and anti-jamming for critical military
operations.
Lockheed Martin was also recently awarded a contract
modification for two additional future GPS IIIF satellites to
further enhance the constellation.
About Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is a global
defense technology company driving innovation and advancing
scientific discovery. Our all-domain mission solutions and
21st Century Security® vision accelerate the
delivery of transformative technologies to ensure those we serve
always stay ahead of ready. More information at
lockheedmartin.com.
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SOURCE Lockheed Martin
