[Satellite TODAY 01-22-13] The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has contracted the domestic arm of Surrey Satellite Technology LLC (SSTL) to study the impact small satellites can have over the current GPS constellation. The Air Force is seeking to reduce costs and improve the system’s performance in terms of robustness, coverage and accuracy through this approach.

   Additionally, SSTL will assess how smaller satellites could help deliver high-power signals and alternative architectures for rapid commanding that could provide system capability improvement. The study is expected to flesh out all the details of implementing the small satellite approach: schedule, concept of operations, definition of the technical and programmatic risks, as well as the expected development, test, and operational costs.

   For this, SSTL will use the experience it has gained with its past 39 missions to examine how small satellites in Medium Earth Orbits, and different launch configurations could help reduce the cost and accelerate the timescales associated with GPS deployment. The company is expected to implement a physical demonstration of its technological approaches in the study.