WASHINGTON \u2014 The U.S. Space Force has yet to launch all of the GPS III satellites at its disposal, but work on new, more powerful versions is already underway. New GPS III Follow-on satellites \u2014 or GPS IIIF for short \u2014 will continue to improve the constellation\u2019s accuracy and protection against jamming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
GPS III satellites are already a substantial upgrade to the current constellation, providing three times greater accuracy and eight times better anti-jamming capability than their predecessors. In addition to introducing a new civil signal that is compatible with other navigation satellite systems, the five GPS III satellites on orbit completed the space component of M-code \u2014 an even more secure and accurate signal for military use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Space Force has launched five of the planned GPS III satellites, and three more have been declared \u201cavailable for launch\u201d but are waiting in storage with prime contractor Lockheed Martin. The remaining two are undergoing testing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Space Force has a contract with Lockheed for up to 22 GPS IIIF satellites. The service already exercised contract options for seven GPS IIIF satellites, with the most recent award taking place in October 2021, when Space Systems Command issued $737 million to the company for three more satellites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
GPS IIIF satellites will be more advanced than their predecessors. Most notably, the new space systems will prove a new Regional Military Protection capability, a steerable M-code signal that can concentrate the effect in a specified region. RMP can provide up to 60 times greater anti-jamming measures, helping ensure soldiers can access critical position, navigation and timing data in contested environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other new features include a laser retroreflector array to increase accuracy; an upgraded nuclear detection detonation system payload; and a search and rescue payload.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Starting with the third GPS IIIF space vehicle, the satellites will be built with Lockheed\u2019s LM2100 Combat Bus, specifically designed for military use. The company claims its new bus, which will also be used for the Space Force\u2019s next missile warning satellites, will have greater resiliency and cyber protections, more power, and better propulsion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And thanks to a new port option on the LM2100 bus, it could be possible to upgrade GPS IIIF satellites on orbit. The company\u2019s Augmentation System Port Interface essentially works as a USB port for the satellite, allowing the Space Force to launch new payloads into space that can be plugged into the system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The U.S. Space Force has yet to launch all of the GPS III satellites at its disposal, but work on new, more powerful versions is already underway.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":31856,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":37,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"10":{"categories":["space","military-space-report","newsletters","daily-news-roundup","techwatch","industry"],"primary_category":"space"}}},"categories":[7,106,29,32,37],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3143],"class_list":["post-10760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-battlefield-tech","category-daily-brief","category-home","category-newsletters","category-space"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"BBIRC4VCHBEB5G5U4BPSKXL3HI","arc_canonical_url":"\/battlefield-tech\/space\/2022\/01\/09\/what-will-the-us-space-force-be-able-to-do-with-its-new-gps-iii-variant\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n