After 16 years and $8 billion, the military's new GPS software still doesn't work
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The Bottom Line
Military GPS modernization software project has failed to achieve functionality after 16 years and $8 billion in spending.
How This Affects You
Taxpayer dollars spent on a failed defense project reduce funds available for other priorities; civilians may rely on older GPS systems with degraded accuracy.
AI Summary
The US Space Force took official ownership last year of the GPS Next-Generation Operational Control System (OCX), a software platform designed to command and control more than 30 military GPS satellites and their jam-resistant capabilities. RTX Corporation, which won the Pentagon contract in 2010, has seen the project balloon from a planned $3.7 billion completion in 2016 to $8 billion today, including a $400 million augmentation for a new GPS IIIF satellite series launching next year. The OCX is meant to handle command and control of GPS III satellites that began launching in 2018, but the program has struggled for 16 years to deliver functional results. The massive cost overrun and timeline slip reflect one of the military's most troubled space acquisition efforts, even after the Space Force formally accepted the system.
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