A rendering of the U.S. Air Force’s Navigation Technology Satellite-3 (NTS-3), which is being built by L3Harris. Photo: L3Harris Technologies via Business Wire

L3Harris Technologies has completed a critical design review for the U.S. Air Force’s first Navigation Technology Satellite-3 (NTS-3) program, the manufacturer announced.

NTS-3 is designed to improve the resiliency of the military’s positioning, navigation and timing capabilities. The U.S. government’s Space Enterprise Consortium selected L3Harris as the NTS-3 prime system integrator two years ago in a deal worth $84 million. The NTS-3 payload, scheduled to launch in 2022, features a modular design that can adapt to support various mission needs. The experiment aims to demonstrate stand-alone satellite constellation and/or hosted payload capabilities.

Following the completion of the review, L3Harris will integrate the program’s experimental payload with an ESPAStar Platform.

“Collaboration with our customers has enabled us to move rapidly through important milestones to design this experimental satellite,” said Ed Zoiss, President, Space and Airborne Systems, L3Harris. “Our goal is to deliver new signals to support rapidly evolving warfighter missions.”

The NTS-3 program is a collaboration with the Air Force Research Laboratory, Space and Missile Systems Center, U.S. Space Force, and Air Force Lifecycle Management Center.

Correction: A previous version of this story was posted with a photograph of a Lockheed Martin satellite. We have updated the story with the correct photograph.