United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta 4 rocket successfully launched the third U.S. Air Force’s GPS 2F series of navigation, positioning an...
United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta 4 rocket successfully launched the third U.S. Air Force’s GPS 2F series of navigation, positioning and timing satellites from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
SVN-65 is on orbit and performing as expected following liftoff at 8:10 a.m. Eastern time from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Controllers confirmed initial contact with the spacecraft at 11:43 a.m. Eastern time. The satellite's GPS signals will be turned on and tested within a few days.
GPS IIF will boost navigational accuracy through improvements in atomic clock technology; a more secure and jam-resistant military signal; a protected, more precise, and interference-free civilian L5 signal, and an extended design life.
Following a sequence of maneuvers and other on-orbit tests, SVN-65 will be placed into medium Earth orbit. After the spacecraft's safety is validated, the Air Force will verify its operability with the rest of the on-orbit constellation and the Boeing-built ground control system known as the Operational Control Segment.
