Boeing completes ground test of new GPS

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EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Sept. 23 (UPI) -- U.S. defense and aerospace company Boeing completed a successful ground test of its first Global Positioning System IIF satellite, set for launch next year.

Boeing completed a consolidated system test of its GPS IIF Space Vehicle 2 (SV-2), a series of design verification and validation tests for the vehicle, its ground-based systems and user equipment.

In addition, the vehicle was used as a "pathfinder," Boeing said, to authenticate transportation processes and launch site test procedures.

"These successful tests reflect a combined effort from the Air Force and Boeing to ensure that the first GPS IIF satellite is on track to meet the Air Force's current launch commitments," said Craig Cooning, vice president and general manager of Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems.

GPS IIF draws on the more than 30 years of cooperation between Boeing and the U.S. Air Force. It has stronger signals and greater resistance to jamming in hostile environments, as well as twice the navigational accuracy as other satellites.

Boeing said it was in the process of installing the remaining hardware on SV-1 as part of its final test cycle in a vacuum environment in preparation for next year's launch.