Vulcan Centaur Launches First U.S. Experimental Navigation Satellite in 48 Years
The United States has launched its first experimental navigation satellite aboard the Vulcan Centaur in nearly half a century, marking a significant milestone for military space technology. The mission, which took place on Tuesday, carried the Navigation Technology Satellite-3 (NTS-3), a position, navigation, and timing (PNT) satellite similar in purpose to GPS.
Developed by L3Harris Technologies, with the satellite bus built by Northrop Grumman, NTS-3 will test advanced technologies designed to resist jamming and spoofing — threats that have become a growing concern for both military and commercial operators.
A New Approach to Navigation
One of the satellite’s key features is a phased array antenna capable of directing powerful beams to ground forces, even in hostile environments. According to L3Harris programme director Andrew Builta, this design aims to maintain signal integrity in areas affected by electronic interference.
NTS-3 also has a reprogrammable software architecture, allowing updates and changes to be made while it is in orbit. Builta described this as a “game-changing capability” for future space operations.
Vulcan Centaur’s Third Mission
The launch was carried out using United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket, a 202-foot-tall (61-metre) vehicle that has now completed three flights.
First flight: January 2024 — launched Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander, which later failed due to unrelated issues.
Second flight: October 2024 — launched a mass simulator for the Sierra Space Dream Chaser programme, experiencing a minor anomaly caused by a manufacturing defect on a booster nozzle. Despite this, the mission was declared a success.
Following the second flight, the U.S. Space Force certified Vulcan Centaur for national security launches.
Expanding U.S. Launch Capabilities
With this certification, only two providers — United Launch Alliance and SpaceX — are approved to launch U.S. military and intelligence satellites. Vulcan Centaur has already been booked for more than two dozen national security missions and can launch from both Cape Canaveral, Florida, and Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
with inputs from Reuters
