Update to story first postedat 5:17 a.m. EDT

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- AnAirForce Delta 2 rocket lit up the predawn skies of Florida's Space CoastSunday morning with the successful launch of a military navigation satelliteinto Earth orbit.

Liftoff of the Boeing-builtbooster came at 5:17 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (09:17 GMT) from CapeCanaveral Air Force Station's complex 17.

Delta2 Liftoff

An Air Force Delta 2 rocketlifts off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on July 16, 2000 carryinga Navstar GPS satellite into Earth orbit. SPACE.com image from BoeingTV.

Exactly 25 minutes afterthe blastoff the Lockheed Martin-built Global Positioning System (GPS)satellite separated from the Delta 2 third stage.

The launch marks the 29thtime a GPS satellite had flown into space on top of a Delta 2 rocket. Sixteenmore launches of the navigation satellite are scheduled on Delta rockets.

"Boeing has been involvedin the Air Forces GPS program since 1974 when the company won contractsto build developmental satellites and receiver sets," said Will Hampton,Boeing director of U.S. Air Force Delta 2 programs.

"We are currently designing,developing and producing the third generation of GPS satellites, the Block2-F, and are proud to continue playing a significant role in this importanteffort," Hampton said.

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Navigating the world

Military and civilianusers around the world use the GPS satellites to keep track of wherethey are on the planet.

Delta2 Rocket-Cam Pictures

A camera looking down fromthe second stage of an Air Force Delta 2 rocket captures these views ofa predawn launch from Cape Canaveral. From left: clouds of exhaust swirlover the launch pad a moment after liftoff; six solid-fuel rocket boostersseparate from the Delta 2 about one minute after launch; one half of theDelta 2's nosecone can be seen on the left side of the image as if fallsaway from the rocket. SPACE.com images from Boeing TV.

With receivers as small asa cellular telephone, the navigation system is used in applications thatrange from commercial trucking firms that want to keep track of where theirdrivers are, to boaters looking for which way to sail to get back to homeport.

The satellite launched Sundayis officially known as GPS 2R-5 and it will join 27 other operational GPSspacecraft now in orbit, said Lt. Daniel Lid, a spokesman for the GPS jointproject office at Los Angeles Air Force Base in California.

"We're launching this satelliteto improve our global coverage and increase the overall health of our constellation,"Lid said.