Rockwell Unveils Test Chamber for Navstar Satellite

A Navstar Global Position Satellite, in production at Rockwell International Corp., awaits testing in a 140-ton thermal vacuum chamber. The chamber, part of a $50-million expansion of the firm’s satellite manufacturing facilities in Seal Beach, was formally dedicated Tuesday.

Rockwell is under Air Force contract to produce 28 Navstars for $1.2 billion, the largest satellite contract ever awarded, according to William C. Strathern, above right, president of the company’s satellite systems division.

The thermal vacuum chamber, one of the most advanced in the world, subjects satellites to the deep vacuum and extreme temperatures that satellites are exposed to in space. In addition, Rockwell built a new acoustic test chamber that subjects the satellites to massive levels of sound energy.

Rockwell hopes to sell 70 Navstars to the Air Force, at a cost of $40 million each, through the year 2000.

The orbiting satellite network will permit users with proper ground receivers to determine their position to within 45 feet anywhere in the world.

Military users will have even greater accuracy, which is expected to be useful in precision bombing and other combat roles.