Global Positioning System (GPS) Paper GPS
GPS - GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM | EXAM QUESTIONS
AND CORRECT ANSWERS | VERIFIED MARITIME SATELLITE
NAVIGATION LATEST 2026/2027
GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS)
1. What does the name NAVSTAR, as used in NAVSTAR GPS, stand for?
A. Naval Satellite Tracking and Ranging
B. Navigation Satellite Telemetry and Radar
C. National Aviation Satellite Tracking and Reporting
D. Navigation System with Timing and Ranging
ANSWER D. Navigation System with Timing and Ranging
NAVSTAR is the official programme name and reflects the system's two
core outputs: precise timing and ranging.
2. Which organisation is currently responsible for operating and
maintaining the GPS constellation?
A. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
B. NASA
C. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
D. United States Space Force
ANSWER D. United States Space Force
Operational responsibility moved from the US Air Force to the US Space
Force after its creation in 2019.
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,Global Positioning System (GPS) Paper GPS
3. In which year was the first Block I GPS satellite launched?
A. 1983
B. 1989
C. 1973
D. 1978
ANSWER D. 1978
The first Block I navigation satellite went up in February 1978 to test
the concept.
4. The US Department of Defense approved the GPS development
programme in which year?
A. 1978
B. 1985
C. 1965
D. 1973
ANSWER D. 1973
Approval came in December 1973, merging earlier Navy and Air Force
navigation concepts into one programme.
5. Full Operational Capability (FOC) of GPS was formally declared in:
A. 1990
B. 1995
C. 1993
D. 2000
ANSWER B. 1995
FOC was declared in April 1995 once the full Block II/IIA constellation
met military performance requirements.
6. Initial Operational Capability (IOC) of GPS was declared in:
A. 1995
B. 1989
C. 1993
D. 1998
ANSWER C. 1993
IOC was declared in December 1993 when 24 satellites were in orbit
and usable.
Page 2 of 55
,Global Positioning System (GPS) Paper GPS
7. Which event in 1983 led the US government to announce that GPS
would be made available for civilian use?
A. The start of the Gulf War
B. The Space Shuttle Challenger accident
C. The first Moon landing
D. The shooting down of Korean Air Lines Flight 007
ANSWER D. The shooting down of Korean Air Lines Flight 007
KAL 007 strayed into Soviet airspace due to a navigation error,
prompting the pledge of free civil access to GPS.
8. On what date was Selective Availability (SA) discontinued?
A. 11 September 2001
B. 2 May 2000
C. 17 July 1995
D. 1 January 1995
ANSWER B. 2 May 2000
A presidential directive ended SA at midnight on 2 May 2000, improving
civil accuracy almost overnight.
9. Selective Availability is best described as:
A. Intentional degradation of civil accuracy by dithering satellite clocks
and ephemeris
B. Deliberate jamming of civilian receivers in conflict zones
C. Encryption of the P code for military users
D. Switching off satellites over selected regions
ANSWER A. Intentional degradation of civil accuracy by dithering
satellite clocks and ephemeris
SA added controlled errors to the civil signal so that only authorised
users obtained full accuracy.
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, Global Positioning System (GPS) Paper GPS
10. Before Selective Availability was switched off, typical civil
horizontal accuracy (95%) was about:
A. 1 m
B. 1 km
C. 100 m
D. 10 m
ANSWER C. 100 m
SA limited SPS users to roughly 100 m horizontal accuracy; removing it
brought this down to around 10 m or better.
11. Which US Navy satellite navigation system, based on Doppler
measurements, preceded GPS?
A. LORAN-C
B. TACAN
C. TRANSIT
D. OMEGA
ANSWER C. TRANSIT
TRANSIT used low-orbit satellites and Doppler shift to give intermittent
position fixes, mainly to ships and submarines.
12. GPS was originally developed primarily for:
A. Military navigation and weapons delivery
B. Civil aviation traffic control
C. Mobile telephone network timing
D. Weather forecasting
ANSWER A. Military navigation and weapons delivery
The system was built by the DoD for military users; civil uses expanded
later.
Page 4 of 55
GPS - GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM | EXAM QUESTIONS
AND CORRECT ANSWERS | VERIFIED MARITIME SATELLITE
NAVIGATION LATEST 2026/2027
GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS)
1. What does the name NAVSTAR, as used in NAVSTAR GPS, stand for?
A. Naval Satellite Tracking and Ranging
B. Navigation Satellite Telemetry and Radar
C. National Aviation Satellite Tracking and Reporting
D. Navigation System with Timing and Ranging
ANSWER D. Navigation System with Timing and Ranging
NAVSTAR is the official programme name and reflects the system's two
core outputs: precise timing and ranging.
2. Which organisation is currently responsible for operating and
maintaining the GPS constellation?
A. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
B. NASA
C. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
D. United States Space Force
ANSWER D. United States Space Force
Operational responsibility moved from the US Air Force to the US Space
Force after its creation in 2019.
Page 1 of 55
,Global Positioning System (GPS) Paper GPS
3. In which year was the first Block I GPS satellite launched?
A. 1983
B. 1989
C. 1973
D. 1978
ANSWER D. 1978
The first Block I navigation satellite went up in February 1978 to test
the concept.
4. The US Department of Defense approved the GPS development
programme in which year?
A. 1978
B. 1985
C. 1965
D. 1973
ANSWER D. 1973
Approval came in December 1973, merging earlier Navy and Air Force
navigation concepts into one programme.
5. Full Operational Capability (FOC) of GPS was formally declared in:
A. 1990
B. 1995
C. 1993
D. 2000
ANSWER B. 1995
FOC was declared in April 1995 once the full Block II/IIA constellation
met military performance requirements.
6. Initial Operational Capability (IOC) of GPS was declared in:
A. 1995
B. 1989
C. 1993
D. 1998
ANSWER C. 1993
IOC was declared in December 1993 when 24 satellites were in orbit
and usable.
Page 2 of 55
,Global Positioning System (GPS) Paper GPS
7. Which event in 1983 led the US government to announce that GPS
would be made available for civilian use?
A. The start of the Gulf War
B. The Space Shuttle Challenger accident
C. The first Moon landing
D. The shooting down of Korean Air Lines Flight 007
ANSWER D. The shooting down of Korean Air Lines Flight 007
KAL 007 strayed into Soviet airspace due to a navigation error,
prompting the pledge of free civil access to GPS.
8. On what date was Selective Availability (SA) discontinued?
A. 11 September 2001
B. 2 May 2000
C. 17 July 1995
D. 1 January 1995
ANSWER B. 2 May 2000
A presidential directive ended SA at midnight on 2 May 2000, improving
civil accuracy almost overnight.
9. Selective Availability is best described as:
A. Intentional degradation of civil accuracy by dithering satellite clocks
and ephemeris
B. Deliberate jamming of civilian receivers in conflict zones
C. Encryption of the P code for military users
D. Switching off satellites over selected regions
ANSWER A. Intentional degradation of civil accuracy by dithering
satellite clocks and ephemeris
SA added controlled errors to the civil signal so that only authorised
users obtained full accuracy.
Page 3 of 55
, Global Positioning System (GPS) Paper GPS
10. Before Selective Availability was switched off, typical civil
horizontal accuracy (95%) was about:
A. 1 m
B. 1 km
C. 100 m
D. 10 m
ANSWER C. 100 m
SA limited SPS users to roughly 100 m horizontal accuracy; removing it
brought this down to around 10 m or better.
11. Which US Navy satellite navigation system, based on Doppler
measurements, preceded GPS?
A. LORAN-C
B. TACAN
C. TRANSIT
D. OMEGA
ANSWER C. TRANSIT
TRANSIT used low-orbit satellites and Doppler shift to give intermittent
position fixes, mainly to ships and submarines.
12. GPS was originally developed primarily for:
A. Military navigation and weapons delivery
B. Civil aviation traffic control
C. Mobile telephone network timing
D. Weather forecasting
ANSWER A. Military navigation and weapons delivery
The system was built by the DoD for military users; civil uses expanded
later.
Page 4 of 55
