A New Flexible Global Positioning System (GPS) Constellation Sustainment Strategy

The Global Positioning System GPS is now a global utility. The United States Air Force is the steward responsible for sustaining and modernizing the constellation. The current launch-to-sustain strategy implemented by the Air Force is not flexible, does not effectively support GPS modernization, and it does not lend itself to a future responsive launch paradigm. A more flexible sustainment strategy is required where the constellation is minimally sustained in preparation for a transformational modernization. A minimalist sustainment or launch-on-failure strategy has the advantage of requiring fewer total spacecraft and providing more concrete and intentional launch decisions. Once a new spacecraft block has been developed and delivered, a launch-to-transform strategy could be invoked where satellites would be launched at the maximum rate possible. This flexible launch strategy would both sustain the constellation and provide an opportunity to transform the constellation relatively quickly. It is therefore the suggestion of this paper that the current launch-on-predicted-failure strategy be replaced by the more flexible launch-on-failure strategy with the option to pursue a launch-to-transform strategy when GPS III satellites become available.