Air Force researchers are exploring how to get overhead navigation signals in areas where the GPS constellation is limited due to terrain or an adversary’s denial efforts. To that end, the Air Force Research Lab awarded aerospace contractor ITT Excelis of McLean, Va., a $2.15 million contract to begin researching a small satellite navigation payload to augment the current GPS program, announced the company on Jan. 23. Excelis will conduct an 18-month study under the this project to identify ways to increase GPS affordability and sustainment through reduction of payload weight, size, and power, states the company’s release.
United Launch Alliance’s new Vulcan Centaur rocket is slated to fly its second national security mission in February—nearly six months after its first operational launch and almost a year after it was certified to fly military payloads for the Space Force.
