The Aerospace Corporation has been instrumental in advancing the concept and technology of the Global Positioning System (GPS), playing a crucial role in its development and continuing to support these critical systems today.

In 1958, the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) utilized a principle to create Transit, the first global satellite navigation system. It was capable of providing navigation to military and commercial users, including the Navy’s missile submarines.

In 1959, the U.S. Navy built TRANSIT, the first navigation system that heavily relied on satellites for positioning.

The first satellite for Transit was launched in 1960, marking a significant milestone in the development of the global satellite navigation system.

In 1963, the Aerospace Corporation completed a study for the U.S. Military proposing the concept of satellites sending continuous signals to locate vehicles on earth and in the air, laying the foundation for the modern GPS system.

In 1966, Aerospace engineers James Woodford and Hideyoshi Nakamura recommended an architecture for the satellite navigation system, utilizing measurements from four satellites to reduce the need for high-accuracy clocks in receivers and making the technology more economically feasible.

The Naval Research Laboratory launched the first Timation satellite in 1967, which was a significant step towards the development of GPS by carrying the first atomic clock into orbit.

By 1968, a constellation of 36 Transit satellites was fully operational, providing accurate navigation services to users worldwide.

The United States Army orbited its first SECOR satellite in 1969, which was used for geodetic surveying and played a role in the development of GPS.

In November 1972, Air Force Col. Bradford Parkinson was assigned to supervise the satellite navigation program and led a team in developing a new concept based on previous systems like TRANSIT, Timation, and Project 621-B.

During a meeting at the Pentagon, about twelve military officers discussed the creation of a Defense Navigation Satellite System (DNSS), which later evolved into the GPS system we know today.

In 1974, a satellite was launched with an atomic clock, which greatly improved the accuracy and three-dimensional location coverage of satellite-based navigation systems.

In February 1978, the first Block I developmental Navstar/GPS satellite was launched, followed by three more Navstar satellites by the end of the year. Aerospace engineers conducted over 700 tests between 1977 and 1979 to confirm the system's accuracy.

The Global Positioning System (GPS) was developed in November 1978 as a satellite-based navigation network providing time and location information worldwide.

In 1980, GPS time was initially set to match Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), but has since diverged due to lack of corrections for Earth's rotation. GPS time remains at a constant offset with International Atomic Time (TAI).

Korean Air Lines Flight 007, a Boeing 747, was shot down by a Soviet interceptor aircraft after navigational errors led it into prohibited airspace, prompting President Ronald Reagan to make GPS freely available for civilian use.

In 1985, the production and development phase for GPS technology commenced, leading to advancements in the field throughout the 1980s and 1990s. This period saw significant progress culminating in the launch of the first operational GPS Block II satellite on a Delta II rocket in 1989.

The launch of Navstar II-1 on February 14, 1989 marked the first GPS Block II satellite placed in orbit and the inaugural mission of the Delta II rocket. Aerospace played a crucial role in planning and overseeing launch simulations, tests, and rehearsals.

In 1990, the Navstar GPS system became fully operational, marking a significant milestone in the development and deployment of GPS technology.

GPS type navigation was first used in war in the 1991 Persian Gulf War to assist Coalition Forces in navigating and performing maneuvers. The war highlighted the vulnerability of GPS to jamming by Iraqi forces.

In 1992, the 2nd Space Wing, which originally managed the GPS system, was inactivated and replaced by the 50th Space Wing.

By December 1993, GPS achieved initial operational capability (IOC) with a full constellation of 24 satellites providing the Standard Positioning Service (SPS).

The Global Positioning System (GPS) reached full operational capability on April 27, 1995, as announced by the US Air Force Space Command. This milestone marked the culmination of years of development and technological advancements in satellite-based navigation.

In 1996, the Defense Department replaced the Transit system with the more advanced Global Positioning System (GPS), marking a significant advancement in satellite navigation technology.

NASA utilizes GPS applications to enhance spacecraft autonomy, space science, and Earth monitoring applications in order to pioneer the future in space exploration, scientific discovery, and aeronautics research.

In 1999, Benefon released the Benefon Esc!, the first cellphone equipped with GPS technology, paving the way for the integration of GPS in mobile devices.

Selective Availability was a feature that limited the accuracy of GPS to approximately 6-12 meters. It was turned off on May 1, 2000, allowing for improved GPS accuracy.

In 2001, personal GPS products, including in-car navigation systems, experienced a surge in popularity. This marked a significant shift towards the widespread adoption of GPS technology in daily life.

In 2002, the U.S. GPS Industry Council came to an out-of-band-emissions (OOBE) agreement with LightSquared to prevent transmissions from LightSquared's ground-based stations from emitting transmissions into the neighboring GPS band of 1559 to 1610 MHz.

Geotagging is the process of adding geographical information to digital objects such as photographs or documents. It helps in creating map overlays and location-based services.

In 2004, the FCC adopted the out-of-band emissions (OOBE) agreement in its authorization for LightSquared to deploy a ground-based network ancillary to their satellite system known as the Ancillary Tower Components (ATCs).

By 2005, the Block II satellites for GPS included various configurations with different capabilities. These satellites, such as IIR-M's and IIF’s, were part of the modernization efforts to enhance the GPS system.

In 2006, Sprint provided GPS APIs to third-party software developers, enabling them to access GPS functionalities for various applications.

In September 2007, the legacy 1970s-era mainframe computer at Schriever Air Force Base was successfully replaced by the OCS, enabling upgrades and a new security architecture.

In 2008, Lockheed Martin was awarded a contract to design the GPS III satellite as part of the USAF's plan to modernize the GPS system, including the satellite constellation, ground control system, and military user equipment.

In 2009, military GPS applications included navigation for soldiers to find objectives, frequency-hopping radio clock coordination for military radio systems, target tracking for military weapons systems, missile and projectile guidance, search and rescue, and reconnaissance.

The first Block IIF satellite that provides the L5 signal at a frequency of 1.17645 GHz was launched in May 2010.

The U.S. Air Force announced the completion of the GPS OCX Preliminary Design Review, marking a significant milestone in the development of the Next Generation GPS Operation Control System.

In November 2011, LightSquared filed SAT-MOD-20101118-00239 requesting to increase signal power in the same frequency band for terrestrial base stations, leading to concerns about potential degradation of GPS signals for consumer uses.

On February 14, 2012, the FCC initiated proceedings to vacate LightSquared's Conditional Waiver Order based on the NTIA's conclusion that there was currently no practical way to mitigate potential GPS interference.

During the Sputnik era, scientists developed GPS technology to track satellites using the Doppler Effect. In the mid-1960s, the US Navy conducted experiments to track submarines carrying nuclear missiles using satellites orbiting the poles.

Fleetistics was selected as the provider for GPS trackers by the company. Their excellent service and guidance have kept the company with them for over 7 years.

On February 5, 2016, the 12th and final Block IIF satellite was launched, marking a significant milestone in the GPS modernization process.

As of January 2017, GPS time is 18 seconds ahead of UTC due to a leap second added to UTC on December 31, 2016. Receivers subtract this offset from GPS time to calculate UTC and specific time zone values.

Lockheed Martin was awarded the GPS III Follow On (GPS IIIF) programme contract by the USAF in September 2018. The contract includes the production of GPS IIIF space vehicles 11 and 12, as well as other related services.

GPS III SV01 was launched on 23 December 2018, marking the beginning of the next generation of GPS satellites.

The second occurrence of GPS week zero happened at 23:59:42 UTC on April 6, 2019. This event marks the reset of the week number after every 1,024 weeks (19.6 years).

GPS III SV02 was launched on 22 August 2019, contributing to the advancement of GPS technology and military capabilities.

The GPS III SV03 satellite was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket after a delay caused by the coronavirus pandemic. This satellite is part of the GPS III programme providing navigation and timing services to civilian users.

The platform introduced the feature that allows users to monitor multiple trackers simultaneously on both a newsfeed and map, enabling them to track the locations of the trackers in relation to each other.

Exploration of how NASA utilizes the Global Positioning System (GPS) for space communications, spacecraft orbit determination, science applications, and more.

A tech expo in March 2024 displayed Aerospace's research and development projects to senior leaders from DoD space offices, fostering discussions on future priorities and partnerships.

In 2025, a new set of satellites known as GPS III is scheduled to launch. These satellites will offer more advanced GPS technology to improve reception and accuracy, especially in densely populated areas.

GPS IIIF will introduce new capabilities including regional military protection, fully digital navigation payload, and laser retro-reflector array to enhance GPS accuracy and anti-jam support.