“The launch of GPS III SV04 is a testament to [the Space and Missile Systems Center’s] ability to rapidly and safely deliver new capabilities on orbit,” said Cordell DeLaPena, Air Force program executive officer for SMC’s Space Production Corps. “At SMC, we are proud to deliver our fourth GPS III satellite and will continue to operate at an accelerated pace to enhance the capabilities of the billions of users worldwide.”

SpaceX was once again able to recover their first stage booster following separation, landing it on the company’s “Of Course I Still Love You” drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. That booster and others will be refurbished and reused for future GPS launches by SpaceX in 2021.

“I’m proud of my team’s 83rd successful National Security Space Launch and look forward to our future missions with SpaceX,” said Col. Robert Bongiovi, SMC’s Launch Enterprise director. “Ultimately, our ability to embrace innovation with our launch providers advances warfighter’s capabilities while lowering costs to the U.S. Government and its taxpayers.”

Lockheed Martin engineers and operators will now begin the approximately one-month on-orbit checkout procedures. The satellite is expected to be ready for operational use and join the constellation of 31 GPS satellites already on orbit in a few months.

This new generation of GPS space vehicles brings increased capabilities to the user, with SMC claiming the satellites will provide three times greater accuracy and up to eight times improved anti-jamming capabilities over their predecessors. Once operational, this will be the 23rd M-Code-capable space vehicle in the GPS constellation, providing a more robust anti-jamming and anti-spoofing GPS signal to military users.

But military users aren’t the only ones to benefit from the new generation of GPS satellites. GPS III satellites also include a new L1C civil signal, providing improved civilian user connectivity that is compatible with Europe’s Galileo constellation, according to Lockheed Martin.

Source: c4isrnet.com