United States launches next-generation GPS satellite into orbit
A rocket carrying a new Global Positioning System satellite into space took off from the US Air Force Base at Cape Canaveral on Thursday
A US Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite was launched into orbit on Thursday, buttressing a 31-member navigation network in constant use by the military, civilian agencies and commercial customers worldwide.
The satellite, built by Boeing, was carried into space aboard an unmanned Delta IV rocket, which blasted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 8.59pm local time.
The Delta IV rocket was built and launched by United Launch Alliance, a partnership of Lockheed Martin and Boeing, under contract with the US Air Force.
Once in position 19,300km above the planet, the new satellite will replace a 16-year-old member of the GPS constellation, one that already has lasted more than twice as long as expected.
“They’re well past their design life – the oldest one is 23 years.”
“They’re well past their design life – the oldest one is 23 years – so we’ve really gotten remarkable performance out of them,” William Cooley, head of the GPS directorate at the Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Centre in Los Angeles, told reporters during a pre-launch conference call.
“Sometimes we joke that they are getting old enough to vote and some of them are old enough to drink,” Cooley said.