A replacement GPS satellite was recently launched into orbit via a Delta IV rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
The Delta IV rocket placed the navigation satellite into the Global Positioning System constellation for the US Air Force. The rocket blasted away from Cape Canaveral’s Complex 37 for a middle-of-the-night ascent timed to deliver a critical replacement satellite directly into the GPS constellation.
This is the 50th satellite launched by the Delta rocket family for the Global Positioning System. The GPS 2F satellite carried on the Delta IV rocket will provide enhanced military signals that have greater accuracy and are more resistant to signal jamming. It will also have some civilian applications and a longer life expectancy than the previous generation of satellites.
The Delta IV had been scheduled to launch two days prior but slipped one day due to a technical issue with the satellite and a second day when technicians were prevented from rolling the Mobile Service Tower or MST back because of weather.
The next GPS satellite launch is tentatively scheduled for September 2012.
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