[Satellite Today 11-18-08] Boeing will upgrade the U.S. Air Force‘s Operational Control Segment (OCS) satellite  ground control system to operate  GPS 2F satellites as well as provide advanced  encryption and data-protection capabilities, Boeing announced Nov. 17.
    The OCS system, also known as the Architecture Evolution Plan, is a  distributed-server-based system designed to improve operations, increase  efficiency and provide a foundation for new capabilities.  "This is the first step in enabling the advancements that the GPS 2F satellite brings to the GPS constellation," Craig Cooning, vice  president and general manager of Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems, said in a statement. "The flexible design of the OCS system enables it to accommodate  technology improvements as they become available."
    The first of 12 Boeing-built GPS 2F  satellites is scheduled to launch in the third quarter of 2009.