L3Harris' NTS-3 Launch Marks DoD's First Experimental Navigation Satellite In 50 Years

(RTTNews) - L3Harris Technologies' (LHX) advanced Navigation Technology Satellite-3 - NTS-3 successfully launched aboard a United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

The Department of Defense's first experimental navigation satellite in nearly five decades, NTS-3, is the first fully reprogrammable Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) satellite, designed to give U.S. warfighters a resilient and flexible capability in GPS-denied environments. L3Harris leadership noted the system's role in modernizing outdated navigation technology to counter evolving security threats.

Built three times faster and at lower cost than comparable programs, NTS-3 is smaller, lighter, and capable of higher-altitude operations. Once on orbit, it will conduct experiments to guide future PNT advancements, leveraging modular payload technology that supports affordability and rapid mission timelines.

L3Harris propulsion and avionics also powered the Vulcan rocket, including RL10 engines delivering nearly 48,000 pounds of thrust, 12 MR-107 thrusters for steering, and critical flight controllers, transmitters, and data systems that ensured precise orbital delivery.

LHX currently trades at $269.03 or 0.44% lower on the NYSE.