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Space

Final GPS III Satellite To Launch On Monday With Optical Cross Link Demonstration Payload

Frank Wolfe

Friday, April 17th, 2026

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Final GPS III Satellite To Launch On Monday With Optical Cross Link Demonstration Payload

Pictured is a SpaceX photo of a Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla. on Jan. 27th for the GPS III-9 mission.

On Monday, a SpaceX Falcon 9 is to carry the last GPS III satellite by Lockheed Martin [LMT] into orbit with an optical cross link payload designed to increase the durability of the constellation of 32 active GPS satellites. The GPS III-8 mission's optical cross link is a "demonstration payload that we're doing to test out the optical cross link capability with ground," Fang Qian, Lockheed Martin's vice president of GPS, said on Friday in a virtual forum with reporters,…

Navy Looks To Eventually Assemble Battleship At HII Newport News; Faces More Dem Opposition

The Navy told lawmakers this week it found a dry dock at HII’s [HII] Newport News Shipbuilding shipyard it thinks can use for final assembly of the new Trump-class battleship […]

Navy Leaders Downplay Looking At Foreign Navy Shipbuilding Amid Lawmaker Objections

The Navy’s top leaders this week seemed to downplay and back down on the service potentially using foreign shipyards to build U.S. Navy ships or buying foreign designed warships overseas […]

Army

Senate Defense Appropriators See ‘Risk’ With Army’s Reconciliation Plan To Fund Munitions Increase

The Senate’s top defense appropriators cited concern this week with the Army’s request to fund the majority of its large increase to munitions procurement in fiscal year 2027 through the […]

Army

Army Relooking At Its ‘Whole Aviation Transformation’ Plan, Acting Chief Tells Lawmakers

The Army is relooking at its “whole aviation transformation initiative,” the service’s acting chief of staff told lawmakers on Tuesday, to include its approach for future procurement of “enduring” platforms. […]