Eighth Lockheed Martin-Built GPS III Satellite Arrives in Florida for Final Launch Preparations

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The eighth Lockheed Martin-designed and -built Global Positioning System (GPS) III space vehicle (SV08) for the U.S. Space Force has successfully arrived in Florida to begin final preparations for a launch in late spring 2025.

Upon launch, this newest satellite will join the operational GPS constellation of 31 satellites working steadily to bring critical positioning, navigation and timing to warfighters and civilians around the world.

Delivering Capability at Speed

GPS III SV08 traveled on a U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft – beginning its journey by truck from Lockheed Martin’s Littleton, Colorado facility, and lifting off from nearby Buckley Space Force Base. It touched down hours later on April 3, 2025, near its launch site of Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.

The Lockheed Martin team initiated the shipment on merely a few days’ notice after they received another accelerated launch call-up from the Space Force. This type of direction mandates that the spacecraft is quickly prepared, transported, and launched to meet a critical mission requirement or opportunity. This method also shortens the duration of delivery to space to roughly two months, compared to a standard launch preparation timeline of more than three months.

“With each GPS III shipment and launch, America’s GPS constellation grows more resilient and accurate,” said Malik Musawwir, vice president of Navigation Systems at Lockheed Martin Space. “We’re proud to continue enabling this critical national security mission through both spacecraft production and maintenance of the ground control segment, bringing a seamless experience to Space Force operators.”

Next-Generation GPS: 60x Times Anti-Jamming

Now that GPS III SV08 has safely arrived at Astrotech Space Operations in Florida for processing, next up in the queue are GPS III SV09 and SV10, which are standing by for call-up. Once launched, these two satellites will round out the current GPS III block, and the program will enter its extended phase of modernization known as GPS III Follow-On (GPS IIIF).

Continued investment in building and expansion of the GPS constellation is critical, especially with nearly half its satellites operating well beyond their originally intended design lives. Additional GPS satellites are needed to secure seamless global coverage, and GPS IIIFs will also bring even more advanced capabilities to bear.

This next generation of GPS IIIF satellites provides significant enhancements to the positioning, navigation and timing mission, like a boosted civilian signal for increased commercial flight safety and Regional Military Protection for up to 60 times anti-jamming in-theater. This means an exponential increase in the spacecraft’s ability to thwart adversary actions, enabling customers to stay ahead of emerging threats.

Production of this next generation of GPS IIIF space vehicles is already underway. Lockheed Martin has already started significant assembly of four GPS IIIF satellites, having recently completed the first GPS IIIF satellite’s core mate in February 2025.

The GPS IIIF space vehicles are currently baselined for launch by the Space Force starting in 2027, and Lockheed Martin is presently on contract to build GPS IIIF satellites through SV20.