Categories: Satellites

Delta Carries GPS Satellite into Orbit

A Boeing Delta II rocket blasted today off from Space Launch Complex 17A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It was carrying a replacement Block IIR Global Positioning System satellite for the U.S. Air Force. The rocket lifted off at 1912 UTC (2:12 pm EST), and delivered the satellite into its transfer orbit 68 minutes later. The GPS IIR-16 is the third of a new generation of GPS satellites that give greater accuracy for navigation here on Earth.

The Delta II rocket carrying the GPS IIR-16 (M) satellite lifted off from Space Launch Complex 17A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., at 2:12 p.m. Eastern time, deploying the satellite to a transfer orbit 68 minutes later.

The Delta II, known as the workhorse of the launch industry in its payload class, has launched all of the GPS IIR satellites. The launch also marked the second GPS mission aboard a Boeing Delta II in less than two months. GPS IIR-15 lifted off from Cape Canaveral on Sept. 25.

“Our Delta team understands the importance GPS satellites play in protecting our military and helping them defend our country,” said Dan Collins, vice president and general manager, Boeing Launch Systems. “The Delta II vehicle has a strong record of performance, and I am proud of the team’s commitment to mission success and our role in sustaining the GPS constellation.”

The Boeing Delta II 7925-9.5 configuration vehicle used for today’s mission featured a Boeing first stage booster powered by a Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and nine Alliant Techsystems (ATK) solid rocket boosters. An Aerojet AJ10-118K engine powered the storable propellant restartable second stage. A Thiokol Star-48B solid rocket motor propelled the third stage prior to spacecraft deployment. The rocket also flew with a nine-and-a-half-foot diameter Boeing payload fairing

A redundant inertial flight control assembly built by L3 Communications Space & Navigation provided guidance and control for the rocket, enabling a precise deployment of the satellite.

GPS IIR-16 (M) is the third of the modernized GPS satellites that feature greater accuracy, increased resistance to interference and enhanced performance for users.

The GPS network supports U.S. military operations conducted from aircraft, ships, land vehicles and by ground personnel. Additional uses include mapping, aerial refueling and rendezvous, geodetic surveys, and search and rescue operations.

GPS provides military and civilian users 3-D position location data in longitude, latitude and elevation as well as precise time and velocity. The satellites orbit the Earth every 12 hours, emitting continuous navigation signals. The signals are so accurate, time can be figured to within one millionth of a second, velocity within a fraction of a mile-per-second and location to within 100 feet.

Original Source: Boeing News Release

Fraser Cain

Fraser Cain is the publisher of Universe Today. He's also the co-host of Astronomy Cast with Dr. Pamela Gay. Here's a link to my Mastodon account.

Recent Posts

Quantum Correlations Could Solve the Black Hole Information Paradox

The black hole information paradox has puzzled physicists for decades. New research shows how quantum…

12 hours ago

M87 Releases a Rare and Powerful Outburts of Gamma-ray Radiation

In April 2019, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration made history when it released the first-ever…

16 hours ago

Astronomers Find a Black Hole Tipped Over on its Side

Almost every large galaxy has a supermassive black hole churning away at its core. In…

19 hours ago

NASA is Developing Solutions for Lunar Housekeeping’s Biggest Problem: Dust!

Through the Artemis Program, NASA will send the first astronauts to the Moon since the…

1 day ago

Where’s the Most Promising Place to Find Martian Life?

New research suggests that our best hopes for finding existing life on Mars isn’t on…

2 days ago

Can Entangled Particles Communicate Faster than Light?

Entanglement is perhaps one of the most confusing aspects of quantum mechanics. On its surface,…

3 days ago