The Lockheed Martin [LMT] team developing the Air Force’s next-generation Global Positioning System III satellites performed the first major hardware delivery for the constellations’ first satellite, according to a company statement.
The team delivered the GPS III Space Vehicle One propulsion core module to Lockheed Martin’s Denver-area GPS processing facility. The delivery highlights the facility’s initial assembly, integration and test activities on the satellite.
The propulsion core contains the integrated propulsion system and serves as the structural backbone of the satellite. The propulsion subsystem is essential for maneuvering the GPS III satellite during transfer orbit to its final location as well as conducting on-orbit repositioning maneuvers throughout its mission life.
The propulsion system benefits from a company initiative to improve the manufacturability of GPS III. The initiative simplified plumbing routing and reduced welds by 25 percent compared to similar spacecraft, which results in significantly reduced cycle time and cost for all GPS III production satellites.
To reduce risk and overall program costs for the government, Lockheed Martin is first fielding a full-sized satellite prototype known as the GPS III Non-Flight Satellite Testbed (GNST). Lockheed Martin spokesman Michael Friedman said Tuesday in an email the company is completing testing on the GNST navigation payload, which will be delivered to the Denver processing facility in early October for thermal vacuum testing.
Friedman said the company expects to ship the fully integrated and tested GNST to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., in spring 2013. Friedman said Lockheed Martin remains on track to deliver the first GPS III satellite for launch availability in 2014.
Lockheed Martin and partner Raytheon [RTN] completed in late August the first launch readiness exercise, which validated the basic satellite command and control (C2) functions, tested the software and hardware interfaces and demonstrated basic on-console procedures required for space vehicle contacts during the launch and early orbit mission. Raytheon is developing the next generation operational control system, called OCX, for GPS III.
Lockheed Martin is currently under contract to build four GPS III satellites. The Air Force’s contract with Lockheed Martin contains options for total production of 12 GPS III satellites (Defense Daily, Sept. 6). Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor for the GPS III satellite system with ITT Exelis [XLS], General Dynamics [GD], Infinity Systems Engineering, Honeywell [HON] and ATK [ATK] as subcontractors.