Sierra Space demonstrates technology for Space Force satellite program

LOUISVILLE — Sierra Space Corp. has announced a successful demonstration of the company’s Resilient GPS technology for the U.S. Space Force.

The accomplishment, generating all GPS navigation signals required for the R-GPS mission, was achieved in collaboration with Fairfax, Virginia-based General Dynamics Mission Systems. The technology targets the increased need for more resilient GPS systems that protect the United States against adversarial threats such as jamming and spoofing of the current GPS infrastructure.

Global Positioning Satellite technology supports everything from civilian services such as smartphone map applications to military and defense uses. However, as adversarial threats become more advanced, there is an increasing need for more-resilient GPS infrastructure. To address this, the Space Force’s Quick Start program is developing concepts for integrating a layer of smaller and more affordable satellites into the existing GPS framework. The R-GPS layer of smaller GPS satellites would be capable of rapid fielding to counter evolving threats.

“This successful demonstration is a testament to the innovative capabilities of Sierra Space and General Dynamics,” Erik Daehler, vice president of Sierra Space Defense, said in a prepared statement. “This milestone not only underscores our commitment to advancing GPS technology, but positions Sierra Space to be optioned for Phase One, the next step of the U.S. Space Force’s Quick Start program.”

Last September, Sierra Space announced a “Quick Start” R-GPS contract awarded by the Space Force’s Space Systems Command to develop design concepts for smaller, more affordable GPS satellites. Later last year, Sierra Space successfully passed an internal Systems Requirement Review.

“Our country needs GPS satellites with more capability and resiliency at a faster rate, and we are proud to bring our mature, mission-ready and proven portfolio of capabilities to Sierra Space to help the U.S. Space Force achieve these objectives quickly,” Amy Johnson, vice president and general manager for the Space, Cyber & Intelligence Systems line of business with General Dynamics Mission Systems, said in a news release.

The demonstration focused on the satellite’s hardware firmware and software.

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