WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Harris is in the process of manufacturing a fully digital Mission Data Unit for the US Air Force’s third-generation GPS III satellites, which will be tested in the fall of 2017.
"The advanced navigation payloads feature a Mission Data Unit (MDU) with a unique 70-percent digital design that links atomic clocks, radiation-hardened computers and powerful transmitters — enabling signals three times more accurate than those on current GPS satellites," the release said.
The payloads will also boost satellite signal power, provide an eight-fold increase in jamming resistance and extend satellite lifespans, the release added.
GPS satellites currently orbiting the Earth have gone beyond their operational design life, according to Lockheed Martin. GPS III satellites will replace the older units.
