Aerospace Supports GPS, Milstar Launches
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GPS IIR-9 launched aboard a Delta II rocket on March 31. Photo courtesy of The Boeing Company/Carleton Bailie. |
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (4/16/03) -- Two military space satellites launched during Operation Iraqi Freedom will provide American service men and women improved navigation and communications capabilities on the battlefield.
Aerospace employees provided launch and payload support for the successful deployment of GPS IIR-9 aboard a Delta II rocket on March 31. GPS IIR-9 will replace an aging Global Positioning System satellite that had been in the constellation for 13 years. GPS IIR-9 was the second satellite deployed this year to replenish the vital navigation network. The next replacement satellite for GPS, GPS IIR-10, is slated to launch in July.
The deployment of GPS IIR-9 brings the GPS constellation to 28 satellites, four more than the required minimum. The continuous navigation signals sent from GPS satellites are critical for troops fighting in Operation Iraqi Freedom and in the ongoing war on terrorism. Warfighters can use GPS to pinpoint their locations to within a few feet, and GPS-guided bombs provide remarkable accuracy.
Aerospace supports the GPS modernization program, which plans upgrades to the various generations of GPS satellites.
Aerospace also provided launch and payload support to Milstar 6, which was lifted into orbit aboard a Titan IV rocket on April 8 and completes the Milstar satellite constellation. The Milstar system achieved near-global communications coverage with the launch of Milstar 5 aboard a Titan IV in January 2002.
The Milstar program, which has been in operation since 1994, is used by all branches of the U.S. military. The secure, survivable and jam-resistant system provides critical wartime communications for high-priority military users, linking command centers with ships, submarines, aircraft, ground stations, and mobile military assets.
The Milstar constellation, often called a "switchboard in the sky" because of the connectivity it provides for all its users, consists of space-linked satellites evenly spaced around the world in geosynchronous orbits. With this configuration, the Milstar system can provide communication around the globe without the need for ground relays.
Milstar 6 is expected to be fully operational within two months and will aid U.S. armed forces around the world and ensure that critical information reaches its destination in a timely manner.
