Air Force Space Command Committed to GPS Health

Air Force Space Command Committed to GPS Health
http://sidt.gpsworld.com/gpssidt/content/printContentPopup.jsp?id=3D59=
9356

May 21, 2009
GPS World

The U.S Air Force and Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) have been the dilig=
ent stewards of=20
GPS since its conception in the 1970s and continue its commitment to this=
critical=20
component of our National Infrastructure, stated the agencies today in a =
press release=20
from Peterson Air Force Base.

=E2=80=9CI have high confidence we will continue to sustain at least the =
24 satellites required to=20
maintain our current performance standard,=E2=80=9D said Gen. C. Robert K=
ehler, AFSPC commander.

The current GPS constellation has 30 operational satellites, the most sat=
ellites and the=20
greatest capability in history.

=E2=80=9CWe are committed to maintaining our current level of service, wh=
ile striving to increase=20
and improve service and capability through on-going modernization efforts=
,=E2=80=9D said Lt. Gen.=20
Tom Sheridan, Commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center, the acqu=
isitions arm for=20
AFSPC. =E2=80=9CThe Air Force will continue to execute an achievable grow=
th path maintaining GPS=20
as the premier provider of positioning, navigation and timing for the mil=
itary and=20
civilian users around the world.=E2=80=9D

Just as it was reported in the Government Accountability Office=E2=80=99s=
report May 7, AFSPC=20
acknowledged the potential for an availability gap years ago, and has act=
ively pursued and=20
institutionalized procedures and processes to mitigate the potential gap =
or minimize any=20
impact. The command said it has developed key processes within the operat=
ional community=20
as well as the acquisition community to extend the life of on-orbit asset=
s and to ensure=20
GPS capability is delivered in a timely manner.

The Air Force launched the seventh of its current block of IIR-M satellit=
es in April, and=20
will launch another one this fall followed by the first of 12 Block IIF s=
atellites in=20
early Fiscal 2010. The IIF's sophisticated L-band payload will include ne=
w hardware that=20
serves the civil user community. The next generation of GPS satellites, t=
he GPS IIIA, with=20
additional navigation signals for both civilian and military users will i=
mprove the=20
accuracy and availability for all users. GPS IIIA is scheduled for first =
launch in 2014.

=E2=80=9CNew acquisition approaches, including phased acquisition and pro=
totyping, will reduce=20
risk to constellation sustainment in the future,=E2=80=9D said General Sh=
eridan.

=E2=80=9CLet me state emphatically =E2=80=94 since we declared Full Opera=
tional Capability in 1995, the=20
Air Force has maintained the constellation above the required 24 GPS sate=
llites on orbit=20
at 95 percent. In fact, we have achieved sub-three meter accuracy,=E2=80=9D=
said General Kehler.=20
=E2=80=9CThe Air Force has been a good GPS steward continually providing =
=E2=80=98better than expected=E2=80=99=20
service to our GPS users. At this point, we foresee no significant loss o=
f service in the=20
future, near or far.=E2=80=9D