Liftoff! Delta IV Launches Next Generation GPS Satellite
A Delta IV rocket launched from Florida today, sending a next-generation Global Positioning System satellite into orbit. The rocket lifted off at 12:10 UTC with the GPS IIF-3 satellite that will be part of the GPS system that is used by both civilians and the military. The new satellite will replace a 19-year-old navigation satellite in the global system that includes 31 operational satellites on-orbit which broadcast position, navigation and timing information to people around the world.
A United Launch Alliance Delta IV stands ready for launch at Space Launch complex 37 with the GPS IIF-3 satellite. Credit: ULA
The satellite, built by Boeing, is the third of 12 planned launches to provide improved GPS signals, featuring improved anti-jam technology, more precise atomic clocks, an upgraded civilian channel for commercial aviation and on-board processors that can be reprogrammed in flight, according to CBS News.
The new satellite should be operational by November.
Recent Posts
Enceladus’s Fault Lines are Responsible for its Plumes
The Search for Life in our Solar System leads seekers to strange places. From our…
Lunar Explorers Could Run to Create Artificial Gravity for Themselves
Few things in life are certain. But it seems highly probable that people will explore…
This is an Actual Picture of Space Debris
Space debris is a growing problem, so companies are working on ways to mitigate it.…
Insanely Detailed Webb Image of the Horsehead Nebula
Few space images are as iconic as those of the Horsehead Nebula. Its shape makes…
Binary Stars Form in the Same Nebula But Aren’t Identical. Now We Know Why.
It stands to reason that stars formed from the same cloud of material will have…
Earth Had a Magnetosphere 3.7 Billion Years Ago
We go about our daily lives sheltered under an invisible magnetic field generated deep inside…