Delta II Launches GPS Satellite

Image credit: Boeing

A Boeing Delta II rocket successfully launched a Global Positioning System satellite for the US Air Force on December 21. The rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 0805 UTC (3:05 EST), and the satellite was deployed 68 minutes later. The satellite, designated GPS IIR-10 was the tenth of 21 IIR class GPS satellites that Boeing will be responsible for launching. The next scheduled Delta launch will also be carrying a GPS satellite; it’s expected to lift off in early 2004.

A Boeing [NYSE: BA] Delta II rocket has successfully deployed a Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite for the U.S. Air Force. This satellite, GPS IIR-10, was the tenth of 21 IIR class GPS satellites Boeing will launch for the Air Force.

Liftoff of the Delta II occurred at 3:05 a.m. EST from Space Launch Complex 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The deployment sequence was completed in 68 minutes at 4:13 a.m. EST.

The GPS satellite, which will orbit nearly 11,000 miles above the Earth, was launched aboard a Delta II 7925-9.5 vehicle.

?Our Delta team has done an outstanding job in supporting the customer, by providing another flawless launch,? said Dan Collins, vice president and program manager, Delta Programs, for Boeing. ?This successful `Delta launch re-affirms our pride in being a part of the GPS program, which is so vital to our nation?s national security.?

Operated by U.S. Air Force Space Command, the GPS constellation provides precise navigation and timing to worldwide military and civilian users 24-hours a day, in all weather conditions. For the warfighter, GPS has enabled the development and use of cost-effective precision guided munitions, and is considered a major component of DoD?s transformational architecture plans.

The next Delta II mission will carry the GPS IIR-11satellite, with the launch scheduled for the first quarter of 2004 from SLC-17B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

Boeing Launch Services Inc., based in Huntington Beach, Calif., is responsible for the marketing and sales of the Sea Launch and Delta family of launch vehicles to Boeing national security, civil space and commercial customers.
A unit of The Boeing Company, Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world?s largest space and defense businesses. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $25 billion business. It provides systems solutions to its global military, government, and commercial customers. It is a leading provider of intelligence surveillance, and reconnaissance; the world?s largest military aircraft manufacturer; the world?s largest satellite manufacturer and a leading provider of space-based communications; the primary systems integrator for U.S. missile defense; NASA?s largest contractor; and a global leader in launch services.

Original Source: Boeing News Release