The fourth GPS 3 vehicle is scheduled to launch 2020-09-29 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, on a new Falcon 9 that SpaceX will attempt to recover.
Missions for GPS 3 satellites 7 through 10 will be awarded under Phase 2 of the National Security Space Launch program.
The $500,000,000 GPS 3 satellite will be stored at Lockheed Martin’s Astrotech processing facility in Florida until the Space Force sets a new launch date.
Lockheed Martin built the GPS 3 satellite that will be launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
Lockheed Martin is under contract to produce 10 GPS 3 satellites and 22 GPS 3 Follow-On models.
The first two GPS 3 satellites are already in operation and the third GPS 3 satellite is scheduled to launch in April 2021.
The 2021 budget includes $628,000,000 to acquire two GPS 3 Follow-On satellites from Lockheed Martin.
L3Harris received a $243,000,000 contract from Lockheed Martin in April to provide two fully digital navigation signals for the 11th and 12th vehicles of the GPS 3 constellation.
Lockheed Martin is making 10 GPS 3 satellites use L3Harris’ 70-percent digital mission data unit.
The 2021 budget includes $1,100,000,000 in RDT&E funds for development of additional GPS 3 Follow-on satellites, upgrades to the GPS Operational Control System, and integration of new GPS user equipment.
The 2021 budget proposes $628,000,000 to acquire two GPS 3F (GPS 3 Follow-on) satellites.
The April launch is the second GPS 3 launch awarded to SpaceX under the National Security Space Launch program.
Lockheed Martin is under contract to build up to 32 GPS 3 satellites.
SpaceX delivered a new Falcon 9 Block 5 booster for the April GPS 3 mission.
The third GPS 3 satellite arrived on 2020-02-05 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida for final testing and checkout.
GPS 3 SV02 (Magellan) launched in August aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket and has completed on-orbit testing.
The first two GPS-3 satellites cost a little over $500,000,000 each, and by satellite 10 the unit cost is projected to be under $200,000,000.
After opening subsequent GPS-3 satellites to competition, the Air Force selected Lockheed Martin again in 2018 for up to 22 follow-on satellites valued at $7,200,000,000 after Boeing and Northrop Grumman declined to bid.
The first GPS-3 satellite was launched by SpaceX in December on a Falcon 9 rocket.
The U.S. Air Force selected Lockheed Martin in 2008 to build the first 10 GPS-3 satellites.