Boeing Ships Next-Gen GPS Satellite to Cape Canaveral for Tests

Boeing has shipped a Global Positioning System (GPS) IIF satellite to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida to conduct a series of tests for the U.S. Air Force’s next-generation satellite navigation system. Built at Boeing’s El Segundo satellite factory, Space Vehicle 2 (SV-2) is undergoing ground testing to prepare for the launch of SV-1, the first of 12 GPS IIF satellites. SV-2 arrived at Cape Canaveral May 7 aboard a C-17 Globemaster III. SV-2 is being used to execute a consolidated system test (CST), which is a set of one-time, system-level design validation tests involving the space vehicle, the ground-based control segment, and user equipment. SV-2 is also being used as a « pathfinder » to validate satellite transportation processes and equipment, and to validate the launch site test program, procedures and equipment. After completion of the CST and pathfinder activities, SV-2 will return to El Segundo to prepare for its own launch from the Cape. GPS IIF features twice the navigational accuracy of heritage satellites, more robust signals for commercial aviation and search and rescue, and greater resistance to jamming in hostile environments. It will form the core of the constellation for many years to come.