A contract worth $68 million was signed with Lockheed Martin for offering mission readiness, early orbit checkout, launch and on-orbit operations engineering support for the initial two GPS III spacecrafts by the U.S. Air Force. The first and second GPS III satellites will be ready for launch in 2014 and 2015 respectively.
GPS satellites will enable coping with the demands of commercial, civilian and military users globally. It offers anti-jamming power, precision and also is incorporated with a novel civil signal designed so that it can be operated with international global navigation satellite systems.
According to the contract, Lockheed Martin will offer technical support to the Air Force's 2nd Space Operations Squadron (2SOPS) and monitor the performance and health of the first two GPS III satellites from launch all through their operating life-span, which will be 15 years. The contract will also enable the Launch and Checkout Capability(LCC) operations at the company’s Newtown facility, which will offer checkout and launch functionalities essential for the launch of the first satellite in 2014.
According to the Air Force's GPS III Launch Operations lead Capt. Alex Rawling, LCC and the GPS III flight operations contract will enable the company’s space segments and GPS control to assist the first launch of a GPS III satellite and make certain the mission succeeds. The main aim is to offer key GPS III capabilities to users in a cost-effective and efficient manner.
Lockheed Martin's GPS III Operations and Sustainment program manager Karen Gauthier conveyed that, there is good progress in the satellite development and this contract will help the team to make sure that the satellites perform according to plan all through their mission lives.
Source: http://www.lockheedmartin.com