ITT Exelis gets GPS III satellite payload deal

ITT Exelis has been awarded a $32 million contract by Lockheed Martin to build the navigation payloads for the third and fourth Global Positioning System III (GPS III) space vehicles under a program managed by the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center's GPS Directorate, ITT Exelis said March 20.

ITT Exelis successfully tested the full-size payload prototype known as GPS III Non-Flight Satellite Testbed Navigation Payload Element in December 2011, the company said.

Scheduled for first launch in 2014, GPS III satellites will deliver significant improvements compared with existing GPS space vehicles. Among the improvements are improved accuracy, better anti-jamming power and greater interoperability, ITT Exelis said.