Raytheon's new Global Positioning System Collaboration Center opening in February 2011 in El Segundo, Calif., will allow U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems personnel to interact with the GPS Operational Control Segment (GPS OCX) system in an operations-like environment.

Raytheon, selected in February 2010 as the prime contractor supporting the Space and Missile Systems Center's GPS OCX program, has developed the center to facilitate increased communication and cooperation with government and contract staff throughout the 73-month program.

GPS OCX is the next-generation operational gateway service designed to provide secure, accurate and reliable navigation and timing information to support military, commercial and civil users. GPS OCX will integrate services among ground, space and user segments to enhance mission command and control and situational awareness capabilities while seamlessly supporting millions of users around the world.

The 17,900-square-foot center will feature an executive presentation room and state-of-the-art operations and demonstration areas. Raytheon and Space and Missile Systems GPS Directorate personnel will be able to have direct interaction onsite and virtual interaction with team members across the country through high-definition video-teleconferencing capabilities.

In addition, the operations and demonstration centers will allow directorate staff to interact with the GPS OCX system in an operations-like environment.

"GPS OCX is critical to full-spectrum precision position, navigation and timing information for all GPS user communities: civil, commercial and military," said Robert Canty, vice president and GPS OCX program manager at Raytheon.

"Through the center, Raytheon and Space and Missile Systems personnel will be able to collaborate with the Air Force and program partners via virtual demonstrations from Raytheon's other program locations in Aurora, Colo., and the Network Integration and Experimentation Center in Rosslyn, Va., advancing the GPS OCX program in a timely manner and providing value to the Air Force."

The Raytheon GPS OCX team, composed of The Boeing Company, ITT, Braxton Technologies and Infinity Systems Engineering, already has completed Phase A of the program and is on schedule to complete the Phase B preliminary design review in the second quarter of 2011.