GPS III Follow-On (GPS IIIF)

Mission — GPS Enterprise Integration source

The Global Positioning System (GPS) Program Office established and maintains the technical baseline and is responsible for the successful fielding of all the GPS Segments (space, control, and user). In order to successfully execute these responsibilities, GPS Enterprise Integrator (EI) creates an enterprise architecture, integrates segment products, verifies the enterprise requirements are adequately met, develops and implements various Systems Engineering documents, defines methods of verification, conducts integrated system test and test analysis, develops and manages the Enterprise technical baseline which reflect multiple stakeholder requirements; stakeholders include the Department of Defense (DoD), foreign governments, industry, and the general public (through four public interface specifications). Furthermore, GPS EI ensures Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) capabilities meet the warfighter's, civil agencies, commercial entities, international treaties, and over four billion global GPS users needs. Moreover, GPS EI is responsible for delivering a reliable PNT signal capability to military operators, the civil user community, and international partners. In addition, GPS EI validates the system performance in various mission threat scenarios during its development as well as provides in-depth technical expertise to enhance government control, oversight and program accountability. GPS EI is also responsible for all aspects of schedule and technical alignment across the GPS segments (space, control, and user equipment). In order to assist in achieving program milestones, GPS EI is responsible for technical baseline management, integration, synchronizing, testing, and verifying GPS III, GPS III Follow-on (IIIF), Operational Control System (OCS), Next Generation Operational Control System (OCX), Military GPS User Equipment (MGUE) Increment (Inc) 1 and Inc 2, and other PNT investment projects. Additionally, GPS EI is responsible for creating and managing plans that provide early exercise of the products under development, compatibility analysis, and inter-segment testing. The inter-segment tests are required to prove OCX interoperability with GPS III satellites and Modernized User Equipment. More importantly, it ensures backwards compatibility with legacy systems such as GPS Block II satellites, OCS, and legacy user equipment. The GPS EI also manages the process through which the Joint Requirements Oversight Council validated requirements are matured and flowed down to the system segments, while remaining consistent with various interfaces. This enables the GPS system to meet Title 10 of the USC, Sec 2281, mandated PNT capabilities, and various other obligations to the international community that provide inter-operable PNT signals. GPS EI also supports GPS spectrum protection at international forums such as the International Telecommunications Union. Such support consists of providing technical support to the Departments of State and Defense to advocate on behalf of the US Government when negotiating with foreign partners. In addition, GPS EI provides technical expertise to maintain relationships with other US government agencies that include the Federal Aviation Administration, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and Departments of State, Transportation, Homeland Security, and Commerce. GPS EI Spectrum also ensures GPS priority for eight essential spectrum signals, including those required for civil air navigation and safety of life. Spectrum Protection prevents encroachment from commercial or foreign entities, which results in the preservation of warfighter's reliable signal. As a result, military operations and the integrity of the global economic infrastructure are protected. Global Positioning System Enterprise Integrator (GPS EI) also manages GPS and other navigation system performance monitoring and publishes performance specifications and reports to ensure anomalies with GPS can be resolved. In addition, GPS EI provides technical expertise for the development for GPS program technical baselines and public specifications to make certain that the DoD fulfills its commitment to the world for civilian GPS Service. GPS EI also provides the Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) enterprise expertise in Enterprise Schedule Management, Risk Management, System Safety, Enterprise level System Security Engineering covering Acquisition Systems Program Security (i.e., personnel, industrial, operations, information, sensitive compartmented information, communication, and physical), Program Protection, Foreign Disclosure, Public Release reviews, Mission System Certification and Accreditation, and Enterprise Cybersecurity. GPS EI is accountable for the development, execution, and analysis of the PNT Enterprise Segments, cybersecurity, and associated test cases necessary to deliver a secure operational system. GPS EI will support a range of future PNT initiatives to include program planning and strategies, technology assessments, PNT innovation initiatives, systems engineering, approach to integrating new capabilities into the current GPS Enterprise, and other related activities. Future PNT development initiatives will be strongly influenced by modeling and analysis currently in development by the Space Warfighting Analysis Center (SWAC). This could include a broad range of innovations such as enhancements to Military GPS User Equipment (MGUE), creative distribution of Timing, PNT signal situational awareness, advanced payloads, optical crosslinks, or future proliferated GPS spacecraft, including early concept development for GPS IV spacecraft alternatives.

Mission — GPS III Follow-On (GPS IIIF) source

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a space-based navigation system that fills validated Joint Service requirements for worldwide, accurate, common grid three-dimensional positioning/navigation for military aircraft, ships, and ground personnel. The consistent accuracy, unaffected by location or weather and available in real time, significantly improves effectiveness of reconnaissance, weapons delivery, mine countermeasures and rapid deployment for all services. GPS must comply with Title 10 United States Code (USC) Sec. 2281, which requires that the Secretary of Defense ensures the continued sustainment and operation of GPS for military and civilian purposes, and 51 USC Sec. 50112, which requires that GPS complies with certain standards and facilitates international cooperation. The system is composed of three segments: User Equipment (funded under Program Element (PE) 1203164F, 1203164SF), Space (funded under PE 1203165F, 1203265F, 1203265SF, 1203269F, and 1203269SF), and a Control Network (funded under PE 1206423F, 1206423SF and 1203165F). The satellites broadcast high accuracy data using precisely synchronized signals that are received and processed by user equipment installed in military and civil platforms. The user equipment computes the platform position and velocity and provides steering vectors to target locations or navigation waypoints. The control segment provides daily updates to the navigation messages broadcast from the satellites to maintain system precision in three dimensions to 16 meters (spherical error probable) worldwide. Additionally, GPS supports the United States (US) Nuclear Detonation (NUDET) Detection System (USNDS) mission and provides strategic and tactical support to the following Department of Defense (DoD) missions: Joint Operations by providing capabilities for Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT); Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence (C3I); Special Operations; Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT); Defense-Wide Mission Support (DWMS); Air Mobility; and Space Launch Orbital Support. GPS III Follow On (GPS IIIF) delivers improved satellites beyond the first ten GPS III Space Vehicles (SVs) being delivered (funded in PE 1203265SF GPS III Space Segment). While GPS IIIF satellites maintain the same capabilities as the GPS III satellites, they deliver significant enhancements to include: potential on-ramping of advanced PNT technology from efforts such as the Navigation Technology Satellite 3 (NTS-3), backward compatibility, Unified S-Band (USB) interface compliance, integration of hosted payloads including a redesigned USNDS payload, Laser Retro-reflector Arrays (LRAs), Search and Rescue/GPS (SAR/GPS), and Regional Military Protection (RMP) capabilities that provide the ability to deliver high-power regional Military Code (M-Code) signals in specific areas of intended effect. Implementation of RMP into the GPS Enterprise requires integration with the ground and user segments, executed by the GPS Next Generation Operational Control System (OCX), along with the Military GPS User Equipment (MGUE) programs, respectively. The SAR/GPS payload provided by Canada supports Air Combat Command (ACC) and fills a validated National Search and Rescue Committee requirement to provide enduring, space-based distress alerting capability to detect, locate, and relay distress alerts to fulfill its responsibilities under international agreements for Search and Rescue. LRA, built by the Naval Research Lab (NRL), is a passive reflector that improves accuracy and provides better satellite ephemeris data. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) funds the integration costs of the LRA. This PE funds the Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) of Global Positioning System III Follow On (GPS IIIF) SVs 11-12 (to include Non-Recurring Engineering (NRE) support efforts). This program includes risk-reducing simulators and systems engineering associated with delivering the new capabilities required of GPS IIIF satellites. Starting in FY 2023, this program also funds the GPS Enterprise Integration (EI) project which includes critical efforts associated with the Government's responsibility to accomplish integration of multiple prime contracts across the three GPS enterprise segments, along with the transition to sustainment and operational communities. GPS EI maintains the current GPS architecture and system definition, controls and validates interfaces, ensures compatibility across current Generation II and III systems, and ongoing developments such as GPS IIIF space systems, GPS Next Generation Operational Control System (OCX control system)s, and Military GPS User Equipment (MGUE) Inc 1 and MGUE Inc 2 systems. GPS EI also develops/manages plans for execution and fielding of new capability like the new Military Code (M-Code) for use at the earliest opportunity. Further, GPS EI provides modeling, simulation, and technical analyses of impacts for Government-directed enterprise level trades among the GPS segments, leading to definition, management, maintenance, and evolution of the GPS Enterprise requirements and interface technical documents to build and ensure the integrity of the enterprise technical baseline, and perform system requirements verification. In addition, GPS EI funds the technical evolution, risk reduction, enterprise-level testing and delivery of all Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Enterprise, capabilities. GPS EI also assists in the analysis and assessment of futures technology to continue the advancement of the PNT enterprise ensuring PNT capabilities continue to be at the forefront. Examples for Generation II include electronic protection; for Generation III, additional anti-jamming and anti-spoof protections and additional civil signals. To accomplish this, GPS EI delivers Test and Verification capabilities, Requirements and Interface Management, and Systems Integration support across the Space, Control, and User Segments. In this capacity, GPS EI is responsible for managing this cross-program work to provide these and other capabilities. GPS EI's analyses guide Government decisions to ensure efficient and effective synchronization and execution across all GPS II and III programs. For Enterprise-wide integration to be successful, GPS EI: works with the GPS and United States (US) Nuclear Detonation (NUDET) Detection System (USNDS) prime contractor teams to develop plans for early risk reduction System Integration Demonstrations to ensure system interfaces and functionality meet user and system requirements; ensures all equipment and documentation is ready when needed; integrates and analyzes enterprise schedules; and conducts formal test and verification, including Requirement Verification Plans and System Test Plans and Procedures. GPS EI performs all these efforts across all Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) programs in all acquisition phases. The Government owns the GPS Enterprise system requirements and integration, interfaced specifications, and highly leverages the GPS EI team to eliminate the need to fund a development prime contractor to perform these functions. This enhances Government control, oversight and program accountability. Deliver advanced PNT capabilities, such as high-power anti-jam signals, to the warfighter ahead of need. The GPS enterprise will be a mixture of GPS IIR, GPS IIR-M, GPS IIF, GPS III, and GPS IIIF. This program may include necessary civilian pay expenses required to manage, execute, and deliver GPS IIIF Space Segment weapon system capability. The use of such program funds would be in addition to the civilian pay expenses. This program is in Budget Activity 5, System Development and Demonstration (SDD) because it has passed Milestone B approval and is conducting engineering and manufacturing development tasks aimed at meeting validated requirements prior to full rate production.

Mission — GPS IIIF source

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a space-based navigation system that fills validated Joint Service requirements for worldwide, accurate, common grid three-dimensional positioning/navigation for military aircraft, ships, and ground personnel. The consistent accuracy, unaffected by location or weather and available in real time, significantly improves effectiveness of reconnaissance, weapons delivery, mine countermeasures and rapid deployment for all services. GPS must comply with Title 10 United States Code (USC) Sec. 2281, which requires that the Secretary of Defense ensures the continued sustainment and operation of GPS for military and civilian purposes, and 51 USC Sec. 50112, which requires that GPS complies with certain standards and facilitates international cooperation. The system is composed of three segments: User Equipment (funded under Program Element (PE) 1203164F, 1203164SF), Space (funded under PE 1203165F, 1203265F, 1203265SF, 1203269F, and 1203269SF), and a Control Network (funded under PE 1206423F, 1206423SF and 1203165F). The satellites broadcast high accuracy data using precisely synchronized signals that are received and processed by user equipment installed in military platforms. The user equipment computes the platform position and velocity and provides steering vectors to target locations or navigation waypoints. The control segment provides daily updates to the navigation messages broadcast from the satellites to maintain system precision in three dimensions to 16 meters (spherical error probable) worldwide. Additionally, GPS supports the United States (US) Nuclear Detonation (NUDET) Detection System (USNDS) mission and provides strategic and tactical support to the following Department of Defense (DoD) missions: Joint Operations by providing capabilities for Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT); Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence (C3I); Special Operations; Military Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT); Defense-Wide Mission Support (DWMS); Air Mobility; and Space Launch Orbital Support. GPS III Follow On (GPS IIIF) delivers improved satellites beyond the first ten GPS III Space Vehicles (SVs) being delivered (funded in PE 1203265SF GPS III Space Segment). While GPS IIIF satellites maintain the same capabilities as the GPS III satellites, they deliver significant enhancements to include: potential on-ramping of advanced PNT technology from efforts such as the Navigation Technology Satellite 3 (NTS-3), backward compatibility, Unified S-Band (USB) interface compliance, integration of hosted payloads including a redesigned USNDS payload, Laser Retro-reflector Arrays (LRAs), Search and Rescue/GPS (SAR/GPS), and Regional Military Protection (RMP) capabilities that provide the ability to deliver high-power regional Military Code (M-Code) signals in specific areas of intended effect. Implementation of RMP into the GPS Enterprise requires integration with the ground and user segments, executed by the GPS Next Generation Operational Control System (OCX), along with the Military GPS User Equipment (MGUE) programs, respectively. The SAR/GPS payload provided by Canada fills a validated National Search and Rescue Committee requirement to provide enduring, space-based distress alerting capability to detect, locate, and relay distress alerts to fulfill its responsibilities under international agreements for Search and Rescue. LRA, built by the Naval Research Lab (NRL), is a passive reflector that improves accuracy and provides better ephemeris data. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) funds the integration costs of the LRA. This Program Element (PE) funds the Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) of GPS IIIF SVs 11-12 (to include Non-Recurring Engineering (NRE) support efforts). This program includes risk-reducing simulators (GPS Software and Simulator (GSS+ 1 & 2), (GPS Non-flight Satellite Test Bed (GNST+)) and systems engineering associated with delivering the new capabilities required of GPS IIIF satellites. Starting in FY 2023, this program also funds the Global Positioning System (GPS) Enterprise Integration (EI) project which includes critical efforts associated with the Government's responsibility to accomplish integration of multiple prime contracts across the three GPS enterprise segments, along with the transition to sustainment and operational communities. GPS EI maintains the current GPS architecture and system definition, controls and validates interfaces, ensures compatibility across current Generation II and III systems, and ongoing developments such as GPS III Follow On (GPS IIIF) space systems, GPS Next Generation Operational Control System (OCX) control systems, and Military GPS User Equipment (MGUE) Inc 1 and MGUE Inc 2 systems. GPS EI also develops/ manages plans for execution and fielding of new capability like the new M-Code for use at the earliest opportunity. Further, GPS EI provides modeling, simulation, and technical analyses of impacts for Government-directed enterprise level trades among the GPS segments, leading to definition, management, maintenance, and evolution of the GPS Enterprise requirements and interface technical documents to build and ensure the integrity of the enterprise technical baseline, and perform system requirements verification. In addition, GPS EI funds the technical evolution, risk reduction, enterprise-level testing and delivery of all PNT Enterprise capabilities. GPS EI also assists in the analysis and assessment of futures technology to continue the advancement of the PNT enterprise ensuring PNT capabilities continue to be at the forefront. Examples for Generation II included electronic protection; for Generation III, additional anti-jamming protection and additional civil signals. To accomplish this, GPS EI delivers Test and Verification capabilities, Requirements and Interface Management, and Systems Integration support across the Space, Control, and User Segments. In this capacity, GPS EI is responsible for managing this cross-program work to provide these and other capabilities. GPS EI's analyses guide Government decisions to ensure efficient and effective synchronization and execution across all GPS II and III programs. For Enterprise-wide integration to be successful, GPS EI works with the GPS and United States (US) Nuclear Detonation (NUDET) Detection System (USNDS) prime contractor teams to develop plans for early risk reduction System Integration Demonstrations to ensure system interfaces and functionality meet user and system requirements; ensures all equipment and documentation is ready when needed; integrates and analyzes enterprise schedules; and conducts formal test and verification, including Requirement Verification Plans and System Test Plans and Procedures. GPS EI performs all these efforts across all PNT programs in all acquisition phases. The Government owns the GPS Enterprise system requirements and integration, and interfaced specifications, and interfaced specifications, and highly leverages the GPS EI team to eliminate the need to fund a development prime contractor to perform these functions. This enhances Government control, oversight and program accountability. The GPS enterprise end state will be a mixture of GPS IIR, GPS IIR-M, GPS IIF, GPS III, and GPS IIIFs. This program may include necessary civilian pay expenses required to manage, execute, and deliver GPS IIIF Space Segment weapon system capability. The use of such program funds would be in addition to the civilian pay expenses budgeted in PEs 1206392SF and 1206398SF.

Accomplishments & Planned Programs (3)