CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, Fla.–The Air Force successfully launched its third GPS IIF communications satellite yesterday at 8:10 a.m. EST.
On a minimally cloudy, bright and muggy morning here, the Boeing-[BA] developed SVN-65 satellite headed into space aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV rocket.
Signal acquisition, Boeing’s standard of launch success, is expected 3.5 hours after liftoff, according to company spokeswoman Jenna McMullin.
The satellite replaces the GPS IIA-21 satellite, launched in 1993.
Of the remaining nine GPS IIF satellites, three are completed and ready to be scheduled for launch as needed, while another six are in production. Boeing completed the fifth GPS IIF satellite in June, according to a company statement. Of the five completed, two are on orbit as part of the 31-satellite constellation (Defense Daily, Oct. 4).
GPS is a global utility providing highly accurate position, navigation and timing services to billions of people around the world. The GPS IIF satellites are sustaining and modernizing the network with a number of enhancements, including improved atomic clock technology, a more jam-resistant military signal and a protected, and more powerful, civilian signal. The satellites also feature a 12-year design life for long-term service and reduced operating costs, according to a Boeing statement.
ULA is a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin [LMT].