Pentagon Eyes Canceling ‘Troubled’ GPS Ground System

Amid persistent development and testing delays, the Space Force is considering canceling a program to develop a ground system to manage its newest GPS satellites, a spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

Developed by RTX, the Next-Generation Operational Control Segment, GPS OCX, began a government-led testing phase last July, seemingly entering the home stretch after more than 15 years of effort to deliver a modernized GPS ground system. But a Space Force spokesperson said those tests revealed software defects that will require “substantially more time than planned to resolve.”

“Analysis indicates that the issues driving recent delays are in part a continuation of challenges the program has repeatedly been experiencing,” the spokesperson said in a March 27 email. 

In light of these developments, the Space Force conducted a “lengthy analysis,” weighing options for how to proceed, including possibly canceling the effort entirely and, instead, modernizing the existing ground system, known as the Architecture Evolution Plan. Lockheed Martin is under contract to sustain and upgrade AEP. 

The spokesperson did not provide details on the other options under consideration, but confirmed that the Space Force has submitted the findings from its analysis to the Pentagon’s acquisition chief, Michael Duffey, who will determine “the best path forward for users.” Duffey is the “milestone decision authority” for GPS OCX, which means he has oversight of the program.

“If the MDA decides to cancel OCX, the program would not field,” the spokesperson said. “This will not impact users, as AEP is currently in operational use and provides command and control for the entire GPS constellation.”

An RTX spokesperson said the company continues to work with the service to address performance concerns.

“The GPS OCX program is a large-scale, highly complex ground system modernization effort,” the company said. “U.S. Space Force accepted delivery of a mission-capable system in 2025 and assumed operational control at that time. RTX is working alongside the government to address any post-delivery concerns.”

The Pentagon selected RTX in 2010 to develop GPS OCX, which would operate the most modern fleet of GPS satellites, GPS III. The system was originally expected to be delivered in 2016 for a cost of $3.7 billion. In 2016, mounting costs and delays triggered a Nunn-McCurdy breach. RTX delivered a baseline OCX capability, dubbed Block 0, in 2017, which can support GPS III launch and checkout, but can’t operate the satellites. Blocks 1 and 2 are currently in testing and contain the system’s critical command and control capabilities as well as improved performance and cyber protections.

The cost estimate for OCX has since been adjusted to nearly $8 billion, and its persistent delays have earned it a reputation within the space acquisition community as a “troubled” program. 

The Space Force operates a fleet of 32 GPS satellites, which serve both military users and civilians. The newest GPS III satellites, nine of which have been launched, are more jam-resistant and precise than older variants. Lockheed Martin is developing a follow-on variant, GPS IIIF. The first of 22 IIIF satellites is scheduled for delivery next year.

Without OCX Blocks 1 and 2, the Space Force has not been able to fully tap into those upgrades. RTX is also on contract for the next version of the system, OCX 3F, and a recent report from the Pentagon’s top weapons tester noted concerns that delays to OCX will trickle down into the follow-on program.

“Since OCX 3F builds on the software delivered by OCX, schedule slips to OCX correspondingly affect operational acceptance of OCX 3F and reduce any remaining margin in the OCX 3F delivery schedule,” the report states.

During a March 25 House Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee hearing, Thomas Ainsworth, who is performing the duties of the Space Force acquisition executive, told lawmakers that the blame for the program’s poor performance lies not only with RTX but with mismanagement on the part of the government. 

“It’s been problems in program management, problems with contractor performance, problems in system engineering, both on the government and on the contractor side,” Ainsworth said. “We are still considering how to ensure we move forward. The GPS capabilities that we get out of IIIF, and III, and the rest of the constellation are critical to the nation going forward, and we will ensure that we have a ground system that works.”

Meanwhile, without OCX to command and control GPS III satellites, Lockheed has provided some upgrades to the AEP to allow it to fly those new spacecraft. The company has also performed upgrades to enable users to leverage the satellite’s encrypted M-Code signal, through a program called M-Code Early Use. 

If the Pentagon opts to cancel OCX, AEP will require further upgrades to enable GPS III’s L5 civilian signal and to support GPS IIIF satellites, the spokesperson said.