Block III GPS satellites showing up in Colorado for its first tests

The US is set to start testing of a new generation of GPS satellites with the first of the Block III GPS satellites showing up in Colorado for its first tests in an extensive series to ensure that the tech will work.--The new-generation satellite also uses a common band that is shared with other countries so GPS devices can work wherever you are.

The new satellites have the ability to determine your location within roughly one meter whereas the older satellites needed had a range of about ten feet. This is the first satellite in the US upgrade plans. The new satellites also have military uses with signals that are harder to block. This satellite will not be used in space. It's the guinea pig for a new generation of GPS satellites, called Block III, that's expected to make military and civilian receivers more accurate, powerful and reliable.

They're also part of an international effort to allow civilian receivers to use signals from U.S., European, Russian and perhaps other satellite navigation systems. Financial systems use GPS receivers to get precise time stamps for transactions, relying on the atomic clocks onboard the satellites. The Air Force Space Command oversees the U.S. GPS satellites and ground control systems from its headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. The Block III satellites are expected to allow military and civilian users to determine their position within 3 feet (almost 1 meter), compared with 10 feet (3 meters) with current technology, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

That means civilian receivers could calculate their position from a number of different satellite navigation systems. The Block III prototype arrived at Lockheed Martin's Waterton Canyon complex south of Denver on Monday. The prototype will not be launched into space. Lockheed Martin has a $1.5 billion Air Force contract to build and test the GPS III prototype and build the first two satellites for launch. The Pentagon expects to buy and launch a total of 32 Block III satellites. Testing is about to begin on the next-generation of Global Positioning System satellites, with the arrival of a prototype unit at a Lockheed Martin complex in Colorado.

Block III GPS Satellites will be able to determine position to within three feet, compared to 10 feet with current technology, the Associated Press reports. Block III's more powerful transmissions will improve resistance to GPS jamming.