ITT - GPS Navigation

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GPS Navigation Systems

ITT has been designing, developing, integrating and manufacturing payloads for the highly successful US Air Force NAVSTAR Global Positioning System (GPS) since 1974. In fact, our payloads have been on every GPS satellite ever launched. They have accumulated over 500 years of on orbit life without a single mission related failure. Today, new GPS technologies are being developed that will dramatically improve the accuracy and reliability of this global utility.

This effort has enabled the operational Block I, II, IIA and IIR satellites, and continues with the development and production of the Block IIR-M satellites. Designed to meet the rigors of space and operate in a radiation contaminated environment, the block IIR/IIR-M Total Navigation Payload represents a sophisticated state-of-the-art system capable of providing precise three dimensional position, time and velocity information on a 24-hour worldwide basis.

For more information on GPS Navigation Payloads, please view the PDF file.

GPS

What do a Special Operations Force, an urban couple vacationing in their new automobile, and a backpacker in Nepal all have in common? They can all depend on Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites. ITT payloads have been on every U.S. GPS system ever launched. Our 50+ GPS satellite payloads have accumulated over 500 years of orbit life without a mission failure. Advanced military applications of this GPS technology range from guiding cruise missiles and smart bombs to helping soldiers locate their precise position in the desert. Practical commercial uses include land surveying, transportation monitoring, and precision navigation.

GPS IIR-M

ITT’s capabilities continue to be the guiding stars behind advances in navigation. For more than 33 years, only ITT has provided payloads for every GPS system. ITT's efforts have prepared all payloads for the operational Block I, II, IIA and Block IIR replacement payloads. Designed to meet the rigors of space and operate in a radiation contaminated environment, the Block IIR/IIR-M Total Navigation Payload represents a sophisticated system capable of providing precise three dimensional position, time, and velocity information on a 24-hour worldwide basis. The proven navigational payload systems of these satellites are fully reprogrammed while in orbit.

ITT has also developed a way to maximize the value of the current investment in the existing Block IIR satellites. The Office of the Secretary of Defense has approved a plan to upgrade the IIR satellites using ITT developed technology, providing for a more secure military and a stronger civil-signal. These satellites are designated Block IIR-M and provide a more capable GPS constellation, which adds additional capability years earlier than previously planned. It also allows the U.S. Air Force to look for “leap-ahead,” technology to serve a whole new generation of GPS satellites in the future – technology that ITT has already begun to work on. Today we stand ready to guide the next generation of GPS. As a result, tomorrow’s pilots, soldiers, surveyors, hikers, and motorists can always stay on course.

GPS III

Building on its success of the IIRM series of satellites, ITT is partnered with Lockheed Martin for developing a whole new generation of payloads with increased capabilities and security.