Another Lockheed Martin-Built GPS III Satellite Lifts Off into Orbit
CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION, Fla., May 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- At 1:37 p.m. EDT today, the eighth GPS III space vehicle—designed and built by Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) —successfully launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. It achieved signal acquisition shortly thereafter.
Similar to its rapid response predecessor in December 2024, GPS III SV08 executed an accelerated launch call-up, shipping from its cleanroom in Colorado and undergoing launch preparations in Florida in just over three months, compared to the typical timeframe of several months.
"Our team is thrilled to support another launch of a critical GPS satellite, just five months since the last liftoff," said Malik Musawwir, vice president of Navigation Systems for Lockheed Martin Space. "This demonstrates Lockheed Martin's ability to rapidly launch and deploy national security space assets, and we look forward to putting the next two GPS III satellites on orbit to further enhance this critical constellation."
These GPS III satellites will play a vital role in providing accurate and resilient positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) capabilities to both civilian and military users, enabling critical applications such as aviation, maritime, and land transportation, plus search and rescue operations. For military users, the advanced security features and anti-jamming capabilities of GPS III – and the follow-on GPS IIIF – satellites are particularly crucial, as they will ensure uninterrupted access to precise navigation and timing data, even in contested or denied environments, thereby supporting national security and defense operations.
SV08 is now under operational control at Lockheed Martin's Denver Launch & Checkout Operations Center until its official acceptance into the current operational GPS network.
Ground Operations for Space SecurityIn addition to building the spacecraft at its Littleton, Colorado facility, and providing early on-orbit operations, Lockheed Martin plays a major role in the continuation and maintenance of the modernized GPS ground segment—also known as the Architecture Evolution Plan.
This architecture is core to operating the 31 active GPS satellites on orbit, enabling them to provide life-changing PNT capabilities that our modern world relies.
The ground segment underpinned by Lockheed Martin is responsible for monitoring and controlling the GPS satellite constellation, as well as providing navigation data to its users. It consists of a network of monitoring stations, master control stations, and ground antennas located around the world.
Most recently, Lockheed Martin has further enhanced GPS' ground segment by incorporating M-Code Early Use into the system, which allows for worldwide use of a specialized, secure military communications signal by American and allied troops.
Once declared operational, GPS III SV08 will be the eighth GPS III satellite in space with boosted M-code, strengthening navigation, precision and anti-jamming for critical military operations.
Lockheed Martin was also recently awarded a contract modification for two additional future GPS IIIF satellites to further enhance the constellation.
About Lockheed MartinLockheed Martin is a global defense technology company driving innovation and advancing scientific discovery. Our all-domain mission solutions and 21st Century Security® vision accelerate the delivery of transformative technologies to ensure those we serve always stay ahead of ready. More information at lockheedmartin.com.
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/another-lockheed-martin-built-gps-iii-satellite-lifts-off-into-orbit-302469853.html
SOURCE Lockheed Martin
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
We Like Enerpac Tool Group's (NYSE:EPAC) Returns And Here's How They're Trending
To find a multi-bagger stock, what are the underlying trends we should look for in a business? Amongst other things, we'll want to see two things; firstly, a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an expansion in the company's amount of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. So when we looked at the ROCE trend of Enerpac Tool Group (NYSE:EPAC) we really liked what we saw. Trump has pledged to "unleash" American oil and gas and these 15 US stocks have developments that are poised to benefit. If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. The formula for this calculation on Enerpac Tool Group is: Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities) 0.20 = US$135m ÷ (US$777m - US$114m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to February 2025). So, Enerpac Tool Group has an ROCE of 20%. In absolute terms that's a great return and it's even better than the Machinery industry average of 11%. View our latest analysis for Enerpac Tool Group Above you can see how the current ROCE for Enerpac Tool Group compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free analyst report for Enerpac Tool Group . Enerpac Tool Group is showing promise given that its ROCE is trending up and to the right. More specifically, while the company has kept capital employed relatively flat over the last five years, the ROCE has climbed 128% in that same time. So it's likely that the business is now reaping the full benefits of its past investments, since the capital employed hasn't changed considerably. On that front, things are looking good so it's worth exploring what management has said about growth plans going forward. To bring it all together, Enerpac Tool Group has done well to increase the returns it's generating from its capital employed. And a remarkable 121% total return over the last five years tells us that investors are expecting more good things to come in the future. Therefore, we think it would be worth your time to check if these trends are going to continue. On the other side of ROCE, we have to consider valuation. That's why we have a that is definitely worth checking out. High returns are a key ingredient to strong performance, so check out our free list ofstocks earning high returns on equity with solid balance sheets. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Returns On Capital At Sonic Automotive (NYSE:SAH) Have Stalled
There are a few key trends to look for if we want to identify the next multi-bagger. Typically, we'll want to notice a trend of growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and alongside that, an expanding base of capital employed. This shows us that it's a compounding machine, able to continually reinvest its earnings back into the business and generate higher returns. So, when we ran our eye over Sonic Automotive's (NYSE:SAH) trend of ROCE, we liked what we saw. Trump has pledged to "unleash" American oil and gas and these 15 US stocks have developments that are poised to benefit. For those who don't know, ROCE is a measure of a company's yearly pre-tax profit (its return), relative to the capital employed in the business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Sonic Automotive: Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities) 0.15 = US$479m ÷ (US$5.9b - US$2.6b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2025). Therefore, Sonic Automotive has an ROCE of 15%. That's a relatively normal return on capital, and it's around the 13% generated by the Specialty Retail industry. Check out our latest analysis for Sonic Automotive Above you can see how the current ROCE for Sonic Automotive compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free analyst report for Sonic Automotive . While the returns on capital are good, they haven't moved much. The company has employed 65% more capital in the last five years, and the returns on that capital have remained stable at 15%. 15% is a pretty standard return, and it provides some comfort knowing that Sonic Automotive has consistently earned this amount. Stable returns in this ballpark can be unexciting, but if they can be maintained over the long run, they often provide nice rewards to shareholders. On a separate but related note, it's important to know that Sonic Automotive has a current liabilities to total assets ratio of 45%, which we'd consider pretty high. This can bring about some risks because the company is basically operating with a rather large reliance on its suppliers or other sorts of short-term creditors. While it's not necessarily a bad thing, it can be beneficial if this ratio is lower. In the end, Sonic Automotive has proven its ability to adequately reinvest capital at good rates of return. And long term investors would be thrilled with the 138% return they've received over the last five years. So while investors seem to be recognizing these promising trends, we still believe the stock deserves further research. On a final note, we've found 1 warning sign for Sonic Automotive that we think you should be aware of. If you want to search for solid companies with great earnings, check out this free list of companies with good balance sheets and impressive returns on equity. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Terrible News for Pfizer Stock Investors
While it no longer generates the sales it once did, Pfizer's coronavirus lineup remains critical to its results. However, recent regulatory changes in the U.S. should make this franchise somewhat less lucrative. Even so, Pfizer's hopes of a comeback lie elsewhere, especially in its improving oncology unit. 10 stocks we like better than Pfizer › The past three years have been challenging for Pfizer (NYSE: PFE). Revenue and earnings have moved in the wrong direction, as has the company's share price. The stock is down by 56% since 2022. Although Pfizer has made some efforts to turn things around, they have been insufficient. And recent regulatory developments in the U.S. somewhat complicate things for the drugmaker. Here's what investors need to know. Pfizer's poor performance since 2022 is largely due to its coronavirus portfolio. After producing record revenue thanks to its work in this area, once the pandemic started receding, sales from Comirnaty, its COVID-19 vaccine, and Paxlovid, its therapy for the disease, started dropping off a cliff. However, Pfizer's coronavirus franchise has remained critical to its overall financial results. In 2024, the company's combined revenue from Paxlovid and Comirnaty was $11.1 billion. Pfizer's total top line came in at $63.6 billion, increasing 7% compared to the year-ago period. When excluding contributions from its coronavirus products, Pfizer's revenue grew more quickly -- by 12% year over year. The company's sales were down compared to 2023 but still accounted for about 17.5% of its top line. That's a meaningful amount. Pfizer would be in a lot more trouble without Paxlovid and Comirnaty. Here's the problem: Recent regulatory changes in the U.S. will make it more challenging for Pfizer to consistently generate solid revenue from Comirnaty. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has decided that instead of recommending COVID-19 vaccines for healthy adults and children above a certain age, it will do so only for seniors aged 65 and older and those with certain medical conditions that put them at risk of severe disease outcomes. The agency is requiring additional clinical trials before it can recommend annual booster shots for healthy adults. Healthy children and pregnant women are also no longer on the list of those who should take the vaccine. These changes will take effect in the fall, peak vaccination season for COVID-19. In other words, the U.S. coronavirus vaccine market just became smaller. What does this mean for investors? Pfizer's coronavirus franchise might weaken somewhat as a result of these changes, but perhaps not significantly. The FDA's guidance is largely irrelevant to Paxlovid. We could even speculate that lower vaccination rates may actually lead to higher infection rates and more prescriptions for the medicine. Although Comirnaty's U.S. sales will be affected, the company reported just $2.004 billion in revenue from the U.S. coronavirus vaccine market last year, which accounts for about 37% of the total revenue Comirnaty generated. The U.S. market is the single most important for Pfizer. Overall, these new developments won't have a significant impact on its financial results. Even so, Pfizer continues to encounter headwinds, and this is yet another one. It might not be a big deal in a vacuum, but given Pfizer's trajectory since 2022, it's not exactly what investors want to see. Truth be told: Pfizer needs every single dollar it can collect in sales. Even slightly lower revenue than it expects from any medicine or vaccine is terrible news for a company whose midpoint revenue guidance of $62.5 billion for the year implies a slight decrease compared to 2024. In light of all this, it's fair for investors to look at the company's performance over the past few years and wonder whether it can bounce back. If it does, it will unlikely be because of its work in the coronavirus vaccine market. Pfizer has made significant strides in recent years to strengthen its pipeline. One of its latest moves was to expand its already robust portfolio of oncology candidates with the licensing of a promising cancer medicine, called SSGJ-707, originally developed by China-based 3S Bio. Pfizer dished out an upfront payment of $1.25 billion for this mid-stage asset, with potential milestone payments of up to $4.8 billion on top of royalties. Pfizer's comeback story will almost certainly include at least one, if not several, significant regulatory wins in oncology. Given its massive pipeline in the field and vast experience in developing drugs in this area, the drugmaker should be well-positioned to achieve this goal. Pfizer is working on numerous therapies in other fields as well and is enhancing its business in various ways. The healthcare company has decreased expenses and costs and plans to continue doing so until 2027. In my view, thanks to its equally massive success in the coronavirus market earlier this decade, we have yet to see the results of the massive investments Pfizer made in its pipeline, It's not time to give up on the stock just yet, even with the recent regulatory changes in the U.S. Pfizer could still generate excellent returns for patient investors. Before you buy stock in Pfizer, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Pfizer wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $651,049!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $828,224!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 979% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 171% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of May 19, 2025 Prosper Junior Bakiny has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Pfizer. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Terrible News for Pfizer Stock Investors was originally published by The Motley Fool Sign in to access your portfolio
