CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Aug. 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The
first of the U.S. Air Force's advanced new, higher-power, harder-to-jam GPS III satellites is making its way to the launch
pad.
On August 20, Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) shipped the U.S. Air Force's first GPS III space vehicle
(GPS III SV01) to Cape Canaveral for its expected launch in December. Designed and built at
Lockheed Martin's GPS III Processing Facility near Denver, the satellite was shipped from
Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado, to the Cape on a massive Air Force C-17 aircraft.
GPS III will be the most powerful and resilient GPS satellite ever put on orbit. Developed with an entirely new design for U.S. and allied
forces, it will have three times greater accuracy and up to eight times improved anti-jamming capabilities over the previous GPS
II satellite design block, which makes up today's GPS constellation.
GPS III also will be the first GPS satellite to broadcast the new L1C civil signal. Shared by other international global
navigation satellite systems, like Galileo, the L1C signal will improve future connectivity worldwide for commercial and civilian
users.
"Once on orbit, the advanced technology of this first GPS III space vehicle will begin playing a major role in the Air Force's
plan to modernize the GPS satellite constellation," said Johnathon Caldwell, Lockheed
Martin's program manager for Navigation Systems. "We are excited to start bringing GPS III's new capabilities to the world and
proud to continue to serve as a valued partner for the Air Force's positioning, navigation and timing mission systems."
GPS III SV01 is the first of ten new GPS III
satellites under contract and in full production at Lockheed Martin.
For additional GPS III information, photos and video visit: www.lockheedmartin.com/gps.
About Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and
aerospace company that employs approximately 100,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design,
development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. This year the
company received three Edison Awards for ground-breaking innovations in autonomy, satellite technology and directed energy.
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SOURCE Lockheed Martin