Pentagon leaders believe those losses are a conservative estimate, leading the U.S. Space Force to kick off a roughly $2 billion satellite program known as the Resilient Global Positioning System.
Called R-GPS for short, the program is intended to provide an alternative, backup network for the current satellite system.
Last month, the branch awarded four companies with contracts for R-GPS design concepts: Astranis, Axient, L3 Harris and Sierra Space.
The R-GPS planSpace Force used a novel Pentagon funding authority, called "Quick Start," to get the R-GPS program going.
A rendering of a Nexus satellite in orbit.
Persons:
Justin Deifel, Deifel, Harris, We've, John Gedmark, Astranis, Gedmark, they've, … We've
Organizations:
U.S . Air Force, GPS, Commerce Department, Pentagon, U.S . Space Force, Force's, Systems Command, CNBC, Space Force, Sierra Space, U.S, Department of Defense, Force, of Defense
Locations:
U.S, Russia, China, Sierra