US-based Lockheed Martin announced that it has delivered the first modernized GPS satellite to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., where it will be readied for a May launch. The satellite, designated GPS IIR-M1, is said to be the most technologically advanced GPS satellite ever developed and will provide significantly improved navigation performance for U.S. military and civilian users worldwide.
The satellite is the first in a series of eight GPS IIR satellites that Lockheed Martin is modernizing for its customer at the Navstar GPS Joint Program Office, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif.
The current constellation of 30 GPS spacecraft includes 12 fully operational Block IIR satellites, which were developed to improve global coverage and increase the overall performance of the global positioning system.
