Timation 1, 2

Timation 1 [NRL]

The Naval Research Laboratory's (NRL's) Naval Center for Space Technology (NCST) conceived the Timation (Time / Navigation) program in 1964 and launched the Timation 1 satellite in 1967 and the Timation 2 satellite in 1969. Timation proved that a system using a passive ranging technique, combined with selected high-performance crystal oscillator clocks, could provide the basis for a new and revolutionary navigation system with three-dimensional coverage (longitude, latitude, and altitude) throughout the world. NCST's Timation program paved the way for what eventually became the Global Positioning System (GPS).