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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