L3Harris announced Jan. 26 it delivered the Navigation Technology Satellite-3 (NTS-3) to the U.S. Air Force and the spacecraft is now undergoing final tests in preparation for a planned launch in late 2023. Parsons is developing the ground system for this project.
NTS-3 is an experiment funded by the Air Force Research Laboratory that will broadcast positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) signals from geostationary Earth orbit. The goal is to demonstrate next-generation PNT technologies for the U.S. military and provide an alternative to GPS.
The satellite is now going through a series of tests at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, and will soon head to the Air Force’s Benefield Anechoic Facility at Edwards Air Force Base, California, for radio frequency testing.