Lockheed Martin launches its eighth GPS III satellite from Cape Canaveral, advancing global positioning accuracy and military-grade anti-jamming capabilities.
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| Lockheed Martin’s GPS III SV08 satellite achieves orbit, strengthening U.S. global positioning and defense capabilities with enhanced accuracy and resilience. Image: Lockheed Martin |
Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA — May 31, 2025:
At 1:37 p.m. EDT today, Lockheed Martin successfully launched the eighth GPS III satellite (SV08) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The satellite quickly achieved signal acquisition, marking another milestone in the modernization of the United States’ global positioning infrastructure.
Designed and built by Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), GPS III SV08 mirrors the accelerated launch timeline of its predecessor in December 2024. It shipped from its manufacturing facility in Littleton, Colorado and was readied for launch in Florida in just over three months—a rapid pace compared to typical GPS satellite deployments.
“Our team is thrilled to support another launch of a critical GPS satellite, just five months since the last liftoff,” said Malik Musawwir, vice president of Navigation Systems for Lockheed Martin Space. “This demonstrates Lockheed Martin’s ability to rapidly launch and deploy national security space assets.”
GPS III satellites provide critical positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services for civilian and military users across air, sea, and land domains. They are foundational to a broad range of activities, from commercial navigation and search-and-rescue missions to precision military operations. The advanced features of the GPS III series—including boosted M-code signals and enhanced anti-jamming resilience—make them especially valuable for defense applications in contested environments.
Following today’s launch, GPS III SV08 has entered operational control at Lockheed Martin’s Launch & Checkout Operations Center in Denver. It will remain there during early orbit operations before transitioning into the U.S. Space Force’s active GPS constellation.
Lockheed Martin continues to support not only the manufacturing and launch of GPS satellites but also the modernization of the GPS ground segment, known as the Architecture Evolution Plan. This global network of monitoring stations, control centers, and antennas ensures real-time command and control of the 31 active satellites in orbit.
Recent upgrades to the ground segment have included M-Code Early Use, enabling secure and encrypted military communication worldwide for U.S. and allied forces. Once declared operational, SV08 will further enhance this secure navigation capability.
Lockheed Martin has also secured a contract modification to produce two more GPS IIIF satellites—next-generation successors to the GPS III class—which will introduce even more advanced features to the constellation.
As a global defense technology leader, Lockheed Martin continues to drive innovation in space, supporting national security through rapid deployment of advanced capabilities that keep the United States and its allies ahead in a dynamic global environment.