Latest News

Prototype Ground Control System Controls GPS Test Satellite

By Staff Writer | February 2, 2009

      A ground control system has shown it can control a Global Positioning System (GPS) asset, Northrop Grumman Corp. [NOC] announced today.

      The unit demonstrated command and control of a GPS IIR-M satellite using its Next

      Generation Operational Control Segment (OCX) engineering model.

      The OCX modernization effort will provide mission enterprise control support for the nation’s existing GPS Block II and future Block III satellites. The GPS control segment includes satellite command and control, mission planning, constellation management, monitoring stations and ground antennas.

      The Northrop Grumman team used its GPS OCX Modernized Capability Engineering Model (MCEM) to command and control a satellite test simulator at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station,Fla., from a Northrop Grumman plant in Redondo Beach, Calif.

      The Air Force provided the Northrop Grumman team a data set embedded with several anomalies that posed a threat to GPS system performance. The team initiated contact with the test satellite and commanded it through a series of complex procedures that demonstrated the ability to restore mission operations and the delivery of highly accurate position and time information for GPS users. The Northrop Grumman team successfully controlled a new secure military signal that will substantially improve the availability of accurate GPS data to U.S. forces.

      The Northrop Grumman OCX team includes Harris Corp., Melbourne Fla.; Integral Systems Inc., Lanham, Md.; Lockheed Martin Corp. [LMT] Information Systems and Global Services of Gaithersburg, Md., and Infinity Systems Engineering of Colorado Springs, Colo.

      gPS OCX will revolutionize the operations concept for command and control of existing GPS II and future GPS III satellites. OCX will deliver new GPS mission planning, constellation management, ground antenna, monitoring station, and satellite command and control capabilities.

      Under the 18-month contract, the contractors are providing systems engineering and integration; architecture design; communications and network engineering; information assurance and security; modeling and simulation; network management; software development; support, maintenance and implementation; and test and evaluation.