Lockheed Martin Has No Blockage For IIR-M… Launch Set

The fourth Global Positioning System (GPS) Block IIR satellite built by Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] for the U.S. Air Force is set for launch aboard a Delta II rocket on October 17th from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The GPS constellation provides critical situational awareness and precision weapon guidance for the military. The worldwide system also supports a wide range of civil, scientific and commercial functions, from air traffic control to the Internet – with precision location and timing information. Lockheed Martin Navigation Systems, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, is the prime contractor for the GPS IIR program. The navigation payload provider is ITT of Clifton, New Jersey. Both companies designed and built the 21 IIR spacecraft for the Global Positioning Systems Wing, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California.




The final eight spacecraft, designated Block IIR-M, were modernized to enhance operations and navigation signal performance for military and civilian GPS users around the globe. Lockheed Martin is also responsible for launch and flight operations support of the GPS IIR and IIR-M satellites. The Global Positioning System enables properly equipped users to determine precise time and velocity and worldwide latitude, longitude and altitude to within a few meters. Air Force Space Command‘s 2nd Space Operations Squadron (2SOPS), based at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado, manages and operates the GPS constellation for civil and military users.