OCX Launch System Testing Moves to Schriever

Testing of the launch and checkout system for OCX—the next generation GPS III ground control system—recently began transitioning from Raytheon’s facility in Aurora, Colo., to Schriever AFB, Colo., the company announced in a press release. The 2nd Space Operations Squadron at Schriever controls current and future GPS satellite systems. Any sign of progress is good news for the OCX system, which has experienced a series of delays and cost overruns, resulting in the declaration of a Nunn-McCurdy breach in July of 2016. The new ground control system must be operational before the first satellites in the GPS III constellation, which are being built by Lockheed Martin, can be launched. In the release, Raytheon said the LCS portion of OCX, which performs early orbit checkout, “scored high with a pass rate of 97.7 percent.” “This achievement moves the system a step closer to delivering enhanced GPS for millions of users worldwide,” said Dave Wajsgras, president of intelligence, information, and services at Raytheon, in the release.