Lockheed awarded $395M in options to produce two more GPS III satellites

Lockheed Martin has been awarded $395 million in contract options by the Air Force to produce the ninth and tenth Global Positioning System III satellite.

Lockheed Martin said in a release that GPS III satellites will deliver three times better accuracy, provide up to eight times improved anti-jamming capabilities and extend spacecraft life to 15 years, 25 percent longer than any GPS satellites on orbit today.

The first eight GPS III satellites are in production at the company’s GPS III processing facility near Denver, Colo. The first is scheduled to be delivered later this year, Lockheed Martin said.

The contract includes funding for both long-lead items and full production for the next two space vehicles (SVs) in the Air Force’s next generation GPS III constellation. The first eight GPS III satellites are already under contract and in production at Lockheed Martin’s GPS III Processing Facility outside of Denver.