Spaceflight Now Home



Spaceflight Now +



Premium video content for our Spaceflight Now Plus subscribers.

STS-117 crew bios
Three veterans and three rookies make up the six-man astronaut crew launching aboard space shuttle Atlantis' STS-117 space station assembly mission. Meet the crew members and learn how each became an astronaut in this special biography movie.

 Play

Mars rover flyovers
Images taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have been assembled to create these flyover animations of the Columbia Hills where the Spirit rover is exploring and the Opportunity rover at Victoria Crater.

 Spirit | Opportunity

Seas on Titan
NASA's Cassini spacecraft has found evidence for seas, likely filled with liquid methane or ethane, in the high northern latitudes of Saturn's moon Titan. This movie includes animation of the craft's encounters with Titan and an interview with insight into the science.

 Play

Atlas 5 launches STP 1
The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket with the U.S. military's Space Test Program 1 payload launches Cape Canaveral.

 Full Coverage

Atlantis rolls back
Battered by an intense hail storm six days earlier, space shuttle Atlantis retreated off launch pad 39A and returned to the cavernous Vehicle Assembly Building on March 4 to undergo thorough inspections and repairs.

 Video | Time-lapse

STS-112: ISS expansion
Atlantis made a week-long visit to the International Space Station in October 2002 that began the outward expansion of the outpost's truss backbone. Attachment of the 14.5-ton Starboard 1 segment was primary objective of the STS-112 mission. The astronauts tell the story of the flight in this post-flight movie.

 Play

NASA budget hearing
This U.S. Senate space subcommittee hearing to examine NASA's proposed Fiscal Year 2008 budget features testimony from NASA Administrator Mike Griffin on February 28.

 Part 1 | Part 2

Become a subscriber
More video



Lockheed completes work on modernized GPS satellites
LOCKHEED MARTIN NEWS RELEASE
Posted: March 25, 2007

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. -- Lockheed Martin announced the delivery of the eighth and final satellite in the modernized Global Positioning System Block IIR (GPS IIR-M) production program to the Air Force.

The GPS constellation provides critical situational awareness and precision weapon guidance for the military. The worldwide system also supports a wide range of civil, scientific and commercial functions ­ from air traffic control to the Internet ­ with precision location and timing information.

There are currently three IIR-M spacecraft on-orbit, along with 12 original Block IIR satellites within the overall 30-spacecraft GPS constellation. Each satellite in the Block IIR-M series includes a modernized antenna panel that provides increased signal power to receivers on the ground; two new military signals for improved accuracy, enhanced encryption and anti-jamming capabilities for the military; and a second civil signal that will provide users with an open access signal on a different frequency.

Based on the navigation user range error, which measures GPS accuracy, the Block IIR satellites enable properly equipped users to determine precise time and velocity and worldwide latitude, longitude and altitude to within one meter.

Over 250 employees from Lockheed Martin, navigation payload provider ITT of Clifton, N.J., and representatives from the U.S. Air Force and other government agencies, gathered at Lockheed Martin's facilities in Valley Forge, Pa., to celebrate the achievement and the overall success of the GPS IIR program.

"This historic milestone is the result of our team's commitment to superior program execution and dedication to achieving mission success for our customer," said Don DeGryse, Lockheed Martin's vice president of Navigation Systems. "We take great pride in the outstanding on-orbit performance of these advanced spacecraft and look forward to further enhancing the worldwide constellation with the launch of the remaining IIR-M spacecraft."

Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, Colo., is the prime contractor for the GPS IIR program.  The company designed and built 21 IIR spacecraft for the Global Positioning Systems Wing, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif. The final eight spacecraft, designated Block IIR-M, were modernized to enhance operations and navigation signal performance for military and civilian GPS users around the globe. The company is also responsible for launch and flight operations support of the GPS IIR and IIR-M satellites.

The third GPS IIR-M spacecraft was launched successfully on Nov. 17, 2006 and was declared operational on Dec. 12 by Air Force Space Command's 2nd Space Operations Squadron (2 SOPS) at Schriever Air Force Base, Colo., which manages and operates the GPS constellation for both civil and military users.

The fourth GPS Block IIR-M satellite has been delivered to Cape Canaveral to support a late 2007 launch. Remaining satellites delivered to storage are available for launch when requested by the Air Force for constellation sustainment.

The company is leveraging its proven record of building advanced global positioning system satellites for the next-generation system, known as GPS III. The Lockheed-led GPS III Space Segment team, which includes ITT and General Dynamics, is currently working under a Phase A Concept Development contract, with the Air Force expected to award a multi-billion dollar development contract to a single contractor in late 2007.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2006 sales of $39.6 billion.