SpaceX Accelerates GPS Satellite Launch, Aims to Boost Navigation Systems
The latest GPS III satellite enhances positioning accuracy and modernizes aging GPS constellation.
WASHINGTON, May 29, 2025 – SpaceX will launch the GPS III Space Vehicle 08 Satellite on Friday, improving the technical capability of the aging GPS satellite system while also seeking to fortify it against spoofing and other attacks.
The GPS III SV08 satellite, built by Lockheed Martin, is the eighth satellite in the GPS 3 block. Originally assigned to the United Launch Alliance, it is the second such satellite to be reassigned to SpaceX, after continued delays faced by ULA.
The launch, scheduled to take place at 1:23 p.m. ET from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla., will utilize a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that will send the satellite into medium-earth orbit, approximately 20,000 kilometers above the Earth. The satellite has an expected operational lifespan of 7.5-15 years, and will be taken off its operational path once its service is complete.
Lisa Dyer, executive director of GPS Innovation Alliance, explained the significance of the launch in an exclusive interview with Broadband Breakfast.
“Friday’s launch is one of the launches of the third generation of GPS satellites, and this particular satellite actually delivers better accuracy…[it will] average [accuracy within] about two meters or less,” she explained.
“Many of the satellites in orbit, they’re averaging about 26 years old…that’s ancient in satellite years…so this allows the government to add a new satellite to the constellation to deliver newer technology that’s available both for the military as well as the civil and commercial communities,” Dyer said.
An additional space-based backup PNT system
Dyer emphasized the need to implement a space-based backup PNT (Positioning, Navigation, and Timing) system for GPS.
“There are a number of complementary PNT systems that have been in place for years and years, but they’re very localized solutions,” she said. “So if you’re looking for something that's 24/7 global coverage, you’re going to need a space based system to do just that.”
SpaceX will conduct two separate launches Friday: the one from Florida carrying the GPS III SV08 satellite, and another from California launching a new batch of Starlink V2 Mini satellites. The Starlink 11-18 mission will add to the company’s rapidly expanding low-Earth orbit constellation, which now includes more than 6,500 operational satellites.
SpaceX has more recently signaled interest in providing alternative PNT services via its Starlink satellite constellation, submitting comments to the FCC and NTIA on the potential of using Starlink’s downlink signals for positioning. The company has said that Starlink could complement or back up GPS, particularly in areas vulnerable to spoofing or jamming.
Calls for creating a back-up to GPS have recently grown, as the system is potentially vulnerable to spoofing and jamming efforts from state and non-state actors alike. Nations such as China and Russia have built terrestrial complements to space-based positioning, navigation and timing systems, and many have called for the US to do the same. The accelerated timeline for the launch is due in large part to an increasing number of threats directed at the GPS.
The growing demand for a backup PNT system stemmed in part from federal recognition of GPS vulnerabilities.
Dyer pointed to steps the government took under the first Trump administration to address these risks, including Executive Order 13905 and Space Policy Directive-7, both of which direct federal agencies to strengthen and coordinate efforts around positioning, navigation, and timing infrastructure.
She noted that agencies like the Department of Homeland Security and National Institute of Standards and Technology were now actively working on cybersecurity guidance and resilience standards for PNT systems.
GPS contributes enormously to the U.S. economy, Dyer said. One study, cited by Dyer and conducted by the NIST, estimated that GPS had generated $1.4 trillion in US economic benefits since the 1980s, and even a short outage could have severe consequences.
