LORAL AND THE US Air Force have completed testing of new ground-control software, called Operational Release 6.A, for global-positioning-system (GPS) satellites. Loral says that the software, delivered ahead of schedule and under cost, met 99.7% of requirements during functional qualification testing.
The USAF will now use the software to control the current fleet of 24 satellites, and rehearse launches of the Block IIR replenishment craft, scheduled to begin in 1996. The new software release provides increased functionality and capability, including the ability to program satellite computers from the ground.
Source: Flight International