Lockheed Martin wins $105 million contract for GPS ground control system as OCX winds down

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force awarded Lockheed Martin a $105 million contract to support ground control operations for the next generation of GPS satellites, as the Pentagon moves to wind down a long-delayed replacement program led by RTX.

The April 8 award covers launch and on-orbit test support for GPS IIIF satellites through March 2030, using the existing Architecture Evolution Plan, or AEP, ground control system.

“This contract provides for the Architecture Evolution Plan operational control system to support launch, early orbit and disposal operations for Global Positioning System IIIF space vehicles,” the Space Force said in a contract announcement.

The move follows recent steps by the Pentagon to end development of the Next Generation Operational Control System, or OCX, a program awarded to Raytheon in 2010 that has faced years of delays and cost growth.

The latest contract effectively restores Lockheed Martin as the lead contractor for the GPS ground segment. When OCX began slipping, the Air Force in 2016 turned to Lockheed to upgrade AEP so it could operate newer GPS III satellites. Initially conceived as a sustainment program for legacy systems, AEP was expanded over time as OCX delays mounted.

Incremental upgrades allowed AEP to take on functions originally intended for OCX.

The Space Force is continuing to work with RTX to phase out OCX. Last week, the Pentagon awarded the company a $45 million contract modification for OCX Block 0 to support the final GPS III launch and to assess how parts of the system could be integrated into AEP.