Just when you think the job is done, you get to start all over again. That’s the position the U.S. Space Force finds itself in as it completes a years-long deployment of the most modern GPS system ever put into orbit. Waiting in the wings: a new GPS satellite that offers even better performance when it launches in 2027.
Last month’s launch marks the final satellite of GPS III “birds” into orbit. The GPS III uses a signal that is more resistant to jamming than previous GPS satellites. Signal jamming has emerged as a key method used by adversaries to disrupt the navigational positioning used by countless devices both civilian and military. GPS is often referred to as the “invisible backbone” that underpins key infrastructure like cellphone networks, the electrical grid, and banking systems to name just a few. GPS also is a critical technology used in a wide array of consumer devices like SOS emergency beacons aboard boats or carried by backcountry hikers. Most GPS disruptions to date have been attributed to Russia.
The U.S. military is the main beneficiary of GPS III. Among the new capabilities is a highly encrypted M-Code link for transmitting positional data. The GPS III satellite also includes a high-gain antenna that can focus a more powerful “spot beam” signal that is more resistant to jamming and spoofing at a specified location.
Among the more technical improvements are an improved atomic clock and faster signal processing. A key innovation is laser data links for communication between satellites that would be vital should a link with a ground station become unavailable, for example. NASA included a laser retroreflector array for more precise distance measurements. GPS III also will transmit a standardized signal that promises interoperability with other global navigation systems like Europe’s Galileo as well as those operated by China, Japan, and India. Russia operates its own navigational satellite constellation called GLONASS.
The next generation of GPS satellites is already being built by Lockheed Martin. The new satellites are called GPSIIIF, with the first to be launched in 2027 referred to as Space Vehicle 11 (SV11). A key feature is a Regional Military Protection mode that the company says offers 60 times better anti-jamming resiliency that can be made available to U.S. allies. There also is an emphasis on improved positioning, navigational, and timing capabilities, all of which will remain—by design– virtually invisible to end users.
Still, given the recent instances of GPS signal interference, some are hedging their bets. The U.K., for example, has tasked its QinetiQ research arm to develop an “Urgent Compass” military navigation system that operates in GPS-denied locales. Others are looking into the feasibility of quantum-based navigation that utilizes the Earth’s magnetic field. Also being considered is a technology capable of navigating by the stars during daylight hours. Nearly everyone is brushing up on their paper map and compass skills. In the modern age, being lost is not an option.
