when did gps start?

 begin quotes:

 

The Global Positioning System (GPS) was started by the U.S. Department of Defense in 1973. The first test satellite launched in 1978, and the full network of 24 satellites became fully operational in 1995. While the military used it earlier, it opened up for accurate civilian use in 2000. 

Key Dates in GPS History

1973: The U.S. military starts the GPS project.
1978: The first test satellite goes into space.
1989: The first handheld consumer GPS hits the market.
1995: The system reaches full operational power with 24 main satellites.
2000: The U.S. turns off signal distortion, making civilian GPS ten times more accurate
.
 

Would you like to know more about how GPS works or the history of car navigation systems?

• 

  The Aerospace Corporation

  Brief History of GPS | The Aerospace Corporation

  The launch of Navstar II-1 on February 14, 1989 was the first GPS Block II satellite placed on orbit and the first mission of the ...

  
• 

  Geotab

  History of GPS satellites and commercial GPS tracking | Geotab

  1989 — GPS company, Magellan, introduces the first hand-held GPS device, the NAV 1000. The first fully operational satellite is la...

  

Show all