- Under a $96 million task order, Lockheed Martin will rebuild GPS ground system controls for IIIF payloads
- The $17.5 million award will begin a three-stage refresh of GPS ground hardware and software
- The modernization work is intended to support M-Code anti-jamming and signal resilience
Lockheed Martin has received two U.S. Space Force task orders worth $113.5 million to modernize the Global Positioning System, or GPS, ground segment. The awards are expected to speed the delivery of secure GPS ground capabilities and strengthen its resilience against future threats, the defense technology company said Thursday.
What Do the Task Orders Cover?
The $96 million task order funds a rebuild of the GPS ground system’s IIIF payload controls, clearing the way for next-generation IIIF satellites to enter service. Lockheed Martin has continued producing GPS IIIF spacecraft, including Space Vehicle 11, which completed its core mate phase in April.
The $17.5 million Architecture Evolution Plan, or AEP, x86 Phase 1 award kicks off a three-stage technology refresh of ground hardware and software, aimed at more dependable ground operations.
Christina Mancinelli, vice president of global communications and navigation at Lockheed Martin, highlighted the company’s decade-long track record on the ground system as evidence that it can keep pace with military and commercial demands. She framed the follow-on work as part of a broader push for a dependable and secure GPS network serving defense users and the public at home and abroad.
How Will the Work Support GPS Operations?
Modernizing the GPS ground system’s software and hardware is intended to help strengthen M-Code anti-jamming and signal resilience, enabling military and civilian personnel to have access to uninterrupted positioning, navigation and timing services.
Lockheed Martin separately received a $105 million contract in April covering GPS IIIF launch support through early orbit and eventual disposal, including work tied to the Architecture Evolution Plan operational control system. The award covers launch, early orbit operations and eventual disposal of GPS IIIF satellites through March 2030.
The company says the GPS IIIF satellites it is now building will be 63 times more resilient than legacy spacecraft with sharper accuracy. Lockheed Martin is also producing additional GPS IIIF satellites under separate Space Force contracts, including a $514 million award announced in June for Space Vehicles 23 and 24.
