Mission Accomplished: Lockheed Martin's GPS III SV07 Successfully Deployed

On Monday, Lockheed Martin Corporation LMT revealed the launch of the seventh Lockheed Martin-designed and built Global Positioning System (GPS) III satellite, GPS III SV07, at 7:52 p.m. ET.

The GPS III SV07 spacecraft, built at Lockheed Martin’s Littleton, Colorado, facility, was transported by ground to its Florida launch site after its usual military aircraft was reassigned for hurricane relief efforts.

The satellite was launched into orbit 12,550 miles above Earth from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Carefully planning the 2,337-mile route and tracking Hurricane Milton, the spacecraft completed a six-day journey, avoiding severe weather and arriving for final launch preparations.

The team has successfully completed signal acquisition of GPS III SV07, and the spacecraft is now under operational control at Lockheed Martin’s Denver Launch & Checkout Operations Center until it is officially accepted into the current 31-satellite operational GPS constellation.

Launched on an accelerated timeline, GPS III SV07 joins the Space Force’s efforts to modernize the GPS constellation, following the launch of GPS III SV06 in 2023.

Malik Musawwir, vice president of Navigation Systems at Lockheed Martin said, “We supported our customer’s vision for an accelerated launch of this GPS satellite, ultimately helping them achieve quick-turn operational readiness.”

“Time is of the essence for national security missions, and we quickly delivered this critical capability for the Space Force to support rapid demand for secure, advanced positioning, navigation, and timing signals.”

Investors can gain exposure to the stock via iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF ITA and Global X Funds Global X Defense Tech ETF SHLD.

Price Action: LMT shares are down 0.38% at $489.79 premarket at the last check Tuesday.

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