GPS III Processing Facility - Public Photo Copyright LMSS (1)Littleton, CO – On February 21st, Lockheed Martin announced its official opening of the new GPS III Processing Facility (GPF) on the Lockheed Martin Space Systems Waterton campus in Littleton,
Colorado. SBEC designed the mechanical, plumbing/process piping and fire protection systems for the new facility, which was specifically designed to reduce the cost of building each GPS III
satellite.

Built in the company’s former rocket assembly building, the facility has nearly 50,000 square feet of spacecraft assembly and test area, including a clean room high bay and dedicated thermal vacuum and anechoic test chambers. The high bay was designed to flow with maximum efficiency by minimizing space vehicle lifts and distances between operations. Like in aircraft and automobile production, each GPS III satellite will move through sequential work stations for various assembly and integration operations, culminating with environmental test procedures.

On Tuesday, February 21, the company hosted nearly 200 guests for the facility’s open house event, which included speeches from Colorado Congressmen Rep. Mike Coffman, Rep. Ed Perlmutter, as well as senior U.S. Air Force officials.

“The new GPS Processing Facility will create an unparalleled production line for satellites, allowing for extremely efficient GPS III spacecraft manufacturing,” said Mark Valerio, Vice President and
General Manager of Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company’s Surveillance and Navigation Systems line of business. “As the GPS III program transitions into production, we are focused on utilizing lean manufacturing principles and implementing affordability initiatives to ensure we deliver these critical satellites while being the best possible stewards of the government’s investment.”

The GPS III program will affordably replace aging GPS satellites while improving capability to meet the evolving needs of military, commercial and civilian users worldwide. GPS III satellites will deliver better accuracy and improved anti-jamming power while enhancing the spacecraft’s design life and adding a new civil signal designed to be interoperable with international global navigation satellite systems.

Based in Boulder, Colorado, OZ Architecture [www.ozarch.com] served as the Architect of Record with expertise in high-bay testing facilities design. Greeley-based Hensel Phelps Construction Co. [www.henselphelps.com] served as the general contractor.

Located in Lakewood, Colorado, and founded in 1998, SBEC is a full-service Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Design Firm specializing in the planning and design of healthcare, higher education, high-tech aerospace and industrial facilities, data centers, semi-conductor manufacturing plants, pharmaceutical production plants, commercial office buildings, and other
project types.


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