USA Scraps New GPS Control System Program

The US Space Force has canceled the Next Generation Operational Control System (OCX) program, which was intended to serve as the new control system for the GPS satellite constellation.

The decision was made on April 17 following a recommendation from defense procurement leadership, according to the US Space Force.

OCX was developed as a replacement for the current ground-based GPS control system, known as the Architecture Evolution Plan (AEP).

The new system was intended to provide satellite control, launch management, fault recovery, and decommissioning capabilities.

However, the program was unable to deliver the required capabilities within the established timeframe at an acceptable level of risk.

In July 2025, the US Space Force accepted a system from Raytheon for comprehensive testing.

During integration with the broader GPS infrastructure, significant systemic issues were discovered.

According to the command, the flaws could have jeopardized existing military and civilian GPS services.

As of January 2026, the total cost of the program had already reached $6.27 billion.

Due to delays with OCX, the US military has modernized the existing AEP system over the past decade, which continues to operate.

Following the cancellation of OCX, the US will focus on further developing the current GPS satellite constellation management system.

Militarnyi recently reported that the US will build a “satellite internet” for the military in partnership with SpaceX.