Harris has built a digital mission data unit for potential integration into the navigation payload of the U.S. Air Force‘s 11th and succeeding GPS III satellites.
The company said Wednesday its MDU technology is designed to increase signal strength and flexibility of the GPS III Space Vehicle 11+ compared with the Harris-made payload on current GPS III satellites built by Lockheed Martin.
“The payload has the flexibility to serve the warfighter over the entire mission life and can be upgraded incrementally over its mission life due to built-in adaptability.” said Bill Gattle, president of Harris’ space and intelligence systems business.
Harris designed the SV11+ navigation payload to support atomic clock operations and offer GPS signal for millions of individuals.
The payload is built to also provide clock signal for a GPS III search and rescue payload as well as support the Air Force’s transition to a Raytheon-built GPS Operational Control System.