U.S. Air Force Updates GPS Ground Systems With Additional Security

As reported by Space News: The ground system for the U.S. Air Force’s position, navigation and timing satellites recently received a software update and security upgrade under a two-year-old contract with Lockheed Martin, the company announced in a Nov. 9 press release.

Known as the GPS Intrusion Protection Reinforcement, the updates enable greater data protection within the Air Force’s current Operational Control Segment, which serves as the ground system for the Air Force’s GPS satellites. The updates also resolve equipment obsolescence issues.

The new software was installed at the GPS Master Control Station at Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and is the second major technology refresh since the Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin a $104 million ground system sustainment contract in 2013.


“The GPS Control Segment Sustainment (GCS) contract is vitally important to the sustainment of positioning, navigation and timing services for our military, government officials and citizens,” Vinny Sica, vice president space ground solutions at Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Global Solutions of Herndon, Virginia, said in the release. “A system this large requires a continued security focus.”