[Techtaffy Newsdesk]
The Lockheed Martin team developing the U.S. Air Force’s next generation Global Position System III satellites has completed the Software Item Qualification Testing (SIQT) for the satellite’s spacecraft bus flight software. SIQT included 131 individual test events, and represents the culmination of a software engineering risk reduction and development phase.
The GPS III program is expected to replace aging GPS satellites. The GPS III satellites will deliver better accuracy and improved anti-jamming power, and will be adding a new civil signal designed to be interoperable with international global navigation satellite systems.
The software will next be integrated and tested on the first GPS III satellite, which is on schedule for launch availability in 2014.
Lockheed Martin is on contract to deliver the first four GPS III satellites for launch. The GPS III team is led by the Global Positioning Systems Directorate at the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center. Lockheed Martin is the GPS III prime contractor with teammates ITT Exelis, General Dynamics, Infinity Systems Engineering, Honeywell, and ATK, among other subcontractors.
The Air Force plans to purchase up to 32 GPS III satellites.