[SatNews] The Lockheed Martin-led team developing the nexgen Global Positioning System (GPS III) has completed the program’s first contract deliverable ahead of schedule.

This was accomplished by shipping the GPS III Bus Real Time Simulator (BRTS) from its Newtown, Pa., facility to Aerospace Corporation, El Segundo, Calif., on September 10, 2010. Acceptance testing for the BRTS was completed seven days after delivery. GPS III will improve position, navigation and timing services and provide advanced anti-jam capabilities yielding superior system security, accuracy and reliability for more than 750 million users around the globe. The BRTS is a specialized piece of test equipment designed to reduce risk and ensure total mission success for the lifecycle of the GPS III program.

The BRTS will allow Aerospace Corporation to independently validate GPS III bus flight software for the U.S. Air Force. Throughout GPS III development, Lockheed Martin will deliver several bus flight software increments to Aerospace Corporation, where engineers will use the BRTS to test and confirm the satellite’s guidance and navigation functions and ensure the flight software will meet program requirements. The Lockheed Martin team recently completed the GPS III critical design review two months ahead of schedule and is now proceeding rapidly in the program’s manufacturing phase. The first launch of a GPS III satellite, which will provide significant improvements over current satellites, is scheduled for 2014 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.