Lockheed Martin Space Systems has awarded ITT Industries Aerospace/Communications Division (A/CD), a $39M contract to upgrade up to twelve Global Positioning System (GPS) Block IIR satellites. The satellite payloads will be modified to incorporate a second civilian signal and two new military signals.
In addition to new military and civilian signals, the GPS IIR modifications will include increased signal power and the ability to reconfigure signals and power in orbit.
These improvements provide for increased accuracy and better resistance to jamming. Work on this contract will be performed at ITT Industries’ Clifton, New Jersey facility and is a follow-on to the development contract awarded in August 2000.
“This is great news for our GPS team and for users in both military and civilian communities,” said Lou Dollive, ITT Industries A/CD president. “These improvements push GPS modernization ahead by more than eight years.”
Previously, modernization of the GPS would not begin until 2005. Under that schedule, a fully modernized constellation would not be available to users until 2015. Under the ITT/Lockheed plan modernization begins in 2003 with all twelve modernized IIRs being in service by 2006.
Thanks to waveform generator advances made by ITT Industries, the addition of new channels was made using a single broadcast carrier wave. Additionally, a more efficient high-power amplifier, controlled through the waveform generator, adds power to the military signal when it is needed.
According to Pete Regan, A/CD’s vice president for space operations, ITT Industries-provided payloads have been a part of every GPS ever launched. This has given ITT a unique insight into GPS operations and directly led to the advancements being made on the IIR satellites.
Additionally, along with GPS Team Leader Lockheed Martin, ITT is working on an architecture study leading to a competition for the design and production of the next series of GPS spacecraft, referred to as GPS III.
