The U.S. Air Force is set to launch the 11th Global Positioning System (GPS) IIF series satellite (GPS IIF-11) on Friday.
The Air Force and launch provider United Launch Alliance (ULA) plan to launch GPS IIF-11 from an Atlas V vehicle on Oct. 30 from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.. The launch window opens at 12:17 p.m. EDT and will remain open for 19 minutes until 12:36 p.m., the Air Force said in a statement Wednesday.
The ULA Launch Readiness Review was completed Wednesday and the forecast showed a 90 percent chance of favorable weather conditions for launch.
There are a total of 12 satellite in this GPS series, with the last remaining satellite, GPS IIF-12, in storage awaiting final processing and preparation for an expected launch on Feb. 3, 2016.
“The GPS IIF satellites play a key role in our modernization effort to provide new space-based capabilities for users around the globe and for decades to come,” Lt. Gen. Samuel Greaves, Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) commander and Air Force program executive officer for space, said in a statement.
The GPS satellite constellation is operated by Air Force Space Command’s (AFSPC) 50th Space Wing at Schriever AFB, Colo.
ULA is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin [LMT] and Boeing [BA]. GPS IIF is developed by Boeing.