Lockheed Martin Successfully Turns On Power of First GPS 3 Satellite

Lockheed Martin, under contract to develop the U.S. Air Force’s next generation Global Positioning System 3 satellites, has successfully turned on power to the system module of the program’s first spacecraft, which indicates the company is on schedule for a 2014 launch.

The milestone is also a demonstration of the satellite’s mechanical integration, which validates its interfaces and leads the way for electrical and integrated hardware-software testing. The GPS 3 Space Vehicle One (SV-1) satellite will complete its Assembly, Integration and Test (AI&T) next.