Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers have become a part of rocket launcher navigation systems since when the shuttles were designed. The latest navigational system designs have caught up with the Endeavour during its recent complete overhaul. The overhaul lasted 1,665 days during which some 194 safety modifications, including safety upgrades already added to shuttles Discovery and Atlantis, were carried out.

The Endeavour’s new GPS has been integrated completely into the shuttle’s navigation system. The new system has reduced the number of different navigation aids on the shuttle and reduced or eliminated the need for ground radar and other kinds of satellite tracking. As the shuttle is flown by computer (several actually) the navigation systems correct functioning is essential.

The new GPS system has replaced a 1950s era tactical air navigation technology providing a far more accurate technological solution.

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