First GPS III satellite successfully launched
NewsJanuary 02, 2019
CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, Fla. The U.S. Air Force and mission partners reported a successful launch of the first Global Positioning Systems III satellite, accomplished December 23 from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral.
The Lockheed Martin-built satellite -- dubbed "Vespucci," in honor of Amerigo Vespucci, the Italian explorer for whom the Americas were named -- went to orbit aboard a Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) Falcon 9 Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle.
The Vespucci satellite separated from its upper stage approximately two hours after launch; engineers and technicians at Lockheed Martin’s facility in Waterton, Colorado then began on-orbit checkout and tests, which are estimated to complete in six months, with operational use expected to begin in about a year.
Vespucci will be vectored to augment the current GPS constellation, which is comprised of 31 operational spacecraft. GPS satellites operate in medium earth orbit at an altitude of approximately 12,550 miles in six planes, with each satellite circling the earth twice per day. GPS III, the newest generation of GPS satellites, brings new capabilities to billions of users worldwide, including three times greater accuracy and up to eight times improved antijamming capabilities as the previous generation.
