Delays and Investigations Plague Rocket Launches
The launch of the Air Force Research Laboratory's Navigation Technology Satellite-3 (NTS-3) has been delayed until May or June 2024 due to the delayed debut of United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur rocket. The NTS-3 satellite aims to demonstrate technologies for future GPS satellites and enhance the current GPS fleet while in orbit. Concerns about the vulnerability of GPS satellites to signal jamming and other threats have prompted the experiment, which will explore navigation capabilities such as regional coverage, reprogrammable payloads, and signal jamming protection. The satellite will be used to inform a study on the resilience of military and civilian users' positioning, navigation, and timing capabilities.