M-Code advances for GPS satellites
The fourth Lockheed Martin-built GPS III Space Vehicle (GPS III SV04) has been shipped to Cape Canaveral in preparation for a September 2020 launch, US Space Force announced on 6 August.
Once on-orbit, GPS III SV04 will be the 23rd satellite in the 31-satellite GPS constellation to include the GPS Military Code (M-Code) encrypted signal that enhances anti-jamming and anti-spoofing capabilities.
Meanwhile, Lockheed Martin has installed an M-Code Early Use (MCEU) upgrade to the Operational Control Segment (OCS), which is the in-service GPS ground control system. MCEU allows the OCS to task, upload and monitor M-Code within the GPS constellation, as well as support testing and fielding of modernised user equipment, as a gap-filler for M-Code operations until the next-generation control system is delivered.
MCEU is expected to reach operational acceptance in November 2020.
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