HMM. GPS IS A HIGH RISK POINT OF FAILURE FOR ALMOST EVERY ASPECT OF OUR MILITARY. Space Force pauses GPS satellite orders due to excess inventory. I worry that, as with ammunition, what looks like excess inventory in peacetime won’t be enough in wartime.

UPDATE: A question in the comments reminds me that you can do geolocation with Starlink signals at GPS levels of accuracy. “Researchers triangulated the signals from six Starlink satellites to fix upon a location on Earth with less than 27 feet (eight meters) of accuracy, the team reported in a statement (opens in new tab). That’s pretty comparable to the typical GPS capabilities of a smartphone, which typically pinpoints your spot on Earth to within 16 feet (4.9 m), depending on the conditions. . . . The researchers developed their navigation system with no help from SpaceX, nor any access to data being shared over the broadband connection. Rather, they used the signals from several satellites and developed an algorithm to locate a position on Earth.” I’m guessing, though, that current GPS receivers would need at least a software update, and very possibly more major alterations, to make use of Starlink signals. Still this possibility may have Space Force thinking that it’s better to quietly make dual-capable receivers than to launch more GPS satellites. There’s nothing about that in the article, though, so that’s entirely my speculation.