GPS III Space Segment

Abstract

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a space based navigation system that fills validated Joint Service requirements for worldwide, accurate, common grid three dimensional positioning/navigation for military aircraft, ships, and ground personnel. The consistent accuracy, unaffected by location or weather and available in real time, significantly improves effectiveness of reconnaissance, weapons delivery, mine countermeasures and rapid deployment for all services. GPS must comply with Title 10 United States Code (USC) 2281 which requires that the Secretary of Defense ensures that continued sustainment and operations of GPS for military and civilian purposes and 51 USC sec 50112 which requires that GPS complies with certain standards and facilitates international cooperation. The system is composed of three segments: user equipment (funded under PE 0305164F), space (funded under this PE and PE 0305165F) and a control network (funded under PE 0305165F and PE 0603423F). The satellites broadcast high accuracy data using precisely synchronized signals which are received and processed by user equipment installed in military platforms. This equipment computes the platform position and velocity and provides steering vectors to target locations or navigation waypoints. The control segment provides daily updates to the navigation messages broadcast from the satellites to maintain system precision in three dimensions to 16 meters spherical error probable worldwide. Additionally, GPS supports the United States Nuclear Detonation (NUDET) Detection System (NDS) mission and provides strategic and tactical support to the following Department of Defense (DoD) missions: Joint Operations by providing capabilities for Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT); Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence; Special Operations; Military Operations in Urban Terrain; Defense-Wide Mission Support; Air Mobility; and Space Launch Orbital Support. GPS III is the next generation Space Vehicle (SV) to join the GPS constellation. GPS III SVs will deliver significant enhancements, including a new civil (L1C) Galileo- compatible signal, and enhanced anti-jam power. Two auxiliary payloads, Search and Rescue/GPS (SAR/GPS) and Laser Retroreflector Array (LRA) will be added no earlier than SV11. The SAR/GPS payload provided by Canada will fill a validated National Search and Rescue Committee requirement to provide enduring, space-based distress alerting capability to detect, locate, and relay distress alerts to fulfill its responsibilities under international agreements for Search and Rescue. SAR integration costs are funded by the Coast Guard. LRA, built by the Naval Research Lab (NRL), is a passive reflector that will improve accuracy and provide better ephemeris data. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) funds the integration costs of LRA. This program funds GPS III and supports research, development, test and evaluation of GPS III SV01-02, and risk-reducing simulators through a systems engineering approach that matures and delivers SVs for launch. Additionally, the program includes SV01-02 engineering studies and analyses, trade studies, system development, test and evaluation efforts, integrated logistics support products, on-orbit support, and mission operations support for civil and military applications that protect U.S. military and allied use of GPS. Starting in FY14, all Space Modernization Initiatives (SMI) funding is re-allocated to cover SV01-02 development overruns. Options for an alternate production source competition continue to be explored by USD(AT&L) for SVs no earlier than SV11. The Air Force's notional plan includes FY15-16 funding to mature up to three contractors' GPS production designs to facilitate a full and open competition in FY17 for up to 22 GPS III SVs with an expected contract award in FY17-FY18. This program is a Budget Activity 7,Operational System Development because this budget activity includes development efforts to upgrade systems that have been fielded or have received approval for full-rate production and anticipate production funding in the current or subsequent fiscal year.

Document Details

• Document Type: R2 Budgetary Justification
• Publication Date: Oct 01, 2016
• Source ID: 0305265F_7_3600_PB_2016
• Change Summary Explanation: FY16: +$13.326M to fund contingency operations.
• Service Agency Name: Air Force

Entities

Organizations

• United States Air Force

Tags

Communities of Interest

• Human Systems
• Space
• Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

• Acquisition
• Air Force
• Artificial Satellites
• Coast Guard
• Command And Control
• Engineering
• Global Positioning Systems
• Military Applications
• Military Operations
• Military Personnel
• Navigation
• Satellite Buses
• Satellite Constellations
• Search And Rescue
• Spacecraft
• Systems Engineering
• Test And Evaluation

Readers

• Aerospace Engineering.
• Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Technology.

Technology Areas

• Directed Energy
• Fully Networked C3
• Fully Networked C3 - Command and Control
• Space
• Space - Satellites