GPS was originally NAVSTAR or Navstar-GPS (names helped, going back to when LORAN was state of the art and other competing dod navigation systems were being dev

GPS was originally NAVSTAR or Navstar-GPS (names helped, going back to when LORAN was state of the art and other competing dod navigation systems were being developed, like the Navy's TRANSIT sats). But lots of old school pros like surveyors will still refer to it as 'Navstar', which has resurged with the introduction of competing GNSS systems from other countries. Especially if you want to avoid the GPS/GNSS confusion. There's debate about whether NAVSTAR itself was ever an acronym/backroom, or just a name. "NAVigation System using Timing And Ranging"