Official U.S. Government information about the
Global Positioning System (GPS) and related topics
Technical Documentation
On this page:
It is the official policy of the U.S. government to provide open, free access to the information necessary to develop and build equipment to use the civil services of GPS and its augmentations. Learn more
This section of the website provides easy access to all of the relevant technical documentation. Some links on this page lead to content in the Portable Document Format (PDF) and may require you to install PDF software. Get software
Interface Specifications
These documents provide detailed information on the civil GPS signals and codes broadcast at the L1, L2, and L5 frequencies. Enter to access current versions of the GPS Interface Specifications, as well as information about ongoing efforts to update the documents through the Interface Control Working Group (ICWG).
View documents
Return to top of pagePerformance Standards & Specifications
These documents specify the levels of technical performance that users can expect from GPS and related systems. Enter to access current and past versions of the performance standards for the civil GPS service (SPS), military GPS service (PPS), Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), and U.S. GPS monitoring capabilities.
View documentsFederal Radionavigation Plan
The Federal Radionavigation Plan (FRP) is the official source of radionavigation policy and planning for the federal government. It covers both terrestrial and space-based, common-use, federally operated radionavigation systems, including GPS and GPS augmentations. This link opens the U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center website, which contains the 2014 FRP and several previous issues.
View documents at USCG.govCodeless/Semi-Codeless GPS Access Commitments
These documents describe U.S. government commitments to support semi-codeless/codeless civilian access to the current P(Y) signals and the transition to the modernized L2C and L5 signals. Enter to access the 2014 Federal Radionavigation Plan, 2008 Federal Register notice, and more.
View documentsPRN Code Assignments
The Air Force GPS Directorate manages the coordination and issuance of pseudorandom noise (PRN) codes to each GPS satellite and other transmitters of GPS codes at the L1, L2, and L5 frequencies. This link leads to an Air Force webpage providing the current PRN number assignments and describing the PRN assignment process.
View documents at af.milSatellite Antenna Panel Patterns
These documents describe technical characteristics of the antenna panels on the GPS Block IIR and Block IIR-M satellites. The satellite manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, compiled the information based on its design specifications and ground test measurements of the antenna panels. The following link to Lockheed Martin's website is not meant to endorse any company products or views.
View documents at lockheedmartin.comCNAV Test Plan
This document, dated May 30, 2013, describes the Air Force's plan to conduct live-sky testing of the modernized civil navigation (CNAV) message for the GPS L2C and L5 signals in June 2013. In April 2014, the Air Force began broadcasting pre-operational CNAV messages on L2C and L5. This link leads to the test plan and supporting documents at the U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center website.
View documents at USCG.govGPS Satellite Simulator Control Working Group
The Satellite Simulator Control Working Group (SSCWG) is a forum for disseminating technical information to manufacturers of GPS constellation simulators.
Learn more
