[narrator] The Global Positioning System is a marvel of the modern age.
It consists of more than 30 GPS satellites
circling the globe over 12,000 miles above us
in tightly controlled orbits,
these U.S. Air Force satellites continuously transmit their signals to earth.
An extraordinary technology,
GPS enables anyone with a GPS receiver to determine their precise location
and the exact time anywhere in the world,
usually within a meter and within a billionth of a second.
[♪♪]
GPS is ubiquitous. It's everywhere.
[George Harris, Team Leader, Space Vehicle Production, Boeing GPS] It's in our cars.
It's in devices that you use
to determine how far you've run or ridden your bicycle.
[narrator] With billions of users and countless devices,
it is easy to take GPS for granted.
But it is the essential platform for innovations
which enables us to do everyday things,
like buying gas at the pump and getting directions.
And amazing things like tracking ice melts
and saving lives in ways that were formally impossible.
[George Harris]: The beauty of the GPS system
is that it's available for everyone.
The cost of entry for any user
is simply the cost of their receiver.
[narrator] Boeing helped make GPS possible.
It's been the U.S. Air Force's prime contractor on 4 major programs,
replacing the initial group of satellites as their service lives were completed.
Overall, Boeing has produced 2/3 of all GPS satellites,
more than 40 in all.
[George Harris]: Satellites are normally built in a low volume,
perhaps 2 or 3 at most,
and they usually sit in 1 spot,
and resources are brought to the satellite.
[narrator] Now to ensure that GPS is available whenever it's needed,
Boeing has changed how satellites are made.
It's producing 12 new GPS satellites
using a streamlined process
based on its efficient and advanced airplane assembly line techniques.
[George Harris]: Our goal is to have the highest quality.
[narrator] These new satellites bring next-generation performance
to the GPS constellation we all use everyday.
As a result,
they are delivering new levels of accuracy
to what is already a remarkably accurate system,
and they are being built
in a much more efficient way,
ensuring that this essential technology is available when we need it.
[♪♪]
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