Air Force Launches Advanced New GPS Satellite
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A Delta 4 rocket blasts off with the GPS 2F-1 navigation satellite aboard for the U.S. military and civilian services. CREDIT: United Launch Alliance |
This story was updated May 28 at 12:03 a.m. ET.
The first of an
advanced new fleet of navigation satellites for the U.S. Air Force soared into
space late Thursday in a blazing night launch from a seaside pad in Florida.
The new global
positioning system (GPS) satellite, called GPS
2F-1, blasted off atop an unmanned Delta 4 rocket at 11 p.m. EDT (0300
Friday GMT) from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
GPS 2F-1 lifted off
after a week of delays due to bad weather and technical issues. It is the first
of a planned fleet of 12 new satellites to provide around-the-clock navigation
ultra-precise navigation and timing services for military and civilian.
"These next-generation
satellites provide improved accuracy through advanced atomic clocks; a more
jam-resistant military signal and a longer design life than earlier GPS
satellites; and a new civil signal that benefits aviation safety and
search-and-rescue efforts," said Craig Cooning, vice president and general
manager for Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems, which built the new
satellite.
The GPS satellite
network currently in use today flies about 11,000 miles (17,702 km) above the
Earth and beam continuous navigation signals to provide accurate longitude,
latitude, altitude and time information for users on Earth. The network was
originally developed for the U.S. military but has since found use for a wide
range of commercial applications.
"GPS is used by
nearly a billion people worldwide for everything from farming and aviation to
public safety, disaster relief and recreation, not to mention its military
purpose of providing precision navigation and timing to combat forces,"
said Air Force GPS Wing Commander Col. David Madden. "GPS 2F will increase
the signal power, precision and capacity of the system, and form the core of
the GPS constellation for years to come."
The new GPS 2F-1 is a
solar-powered satellite designed for a 12-year mission. It has twice the signal
accuracy of previous navigation satellites and is equipped with a new signal
capability for more robust by civilian and commercial aviation applications,
Boeing officials said.
The satellite uses
the U.S. military's "M-code" and variable power to increase its
resistance against jamming during
warfare.
Thursday night's
Delta 4 launch also marked a milestone for the expendable Delta rocket family,
which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this month. The very first Delta
rocket ? a Thor-Delta booster ? launched on May 13, 1960.
The type of Delta 4
booster that launched GPS 2F-1 made its spaceflight debut in 2002 and has flown
13 successful missions, according to the United Launch Alliance (ULA), which
provided the mission's expendable rocket.
GPS 2F-1 is the first
GPS satellite to launch on a Delta 4 rocket. Previous navigation satellites lifted
off atop ULA's smaller Delta 2 boosters. Future GPS 2F constellation satellites are
expected to fly on the Delta 4 rockets or Atlas 5 boosters in ULA's Evolved
Expendable Launch Vehicle program.
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