After a number of delays, from a last-minute problem with first stage propellant temperatures on Tuesday to stormy weather on Thursday, Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corp. was able to cap off a record-setting year with the launch of the new GPS III satellite for the U.S. Air Force.
The Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 8:51 a.m. local time carrying the Lockheed Martin-built satellite. The launch was the company’s 21st launch this year and its first Pentagon-sanctioned national security mission.
The satellite, designated GPS III SV01, is the first of an entirely new design of GPS satellite which will help the Air Force modernize today’s GPS constellation with new technology and advanced capabilities. It is but one of 32 planned GPS III satellites that will replace older ones now in orbit. Lockheed Martin is building the new satellites outside Denver.
The GPS III went into medium Earth orbit roughly 1 hour and 56 minutes after liftoff, according to the SpaceX press kit. Then, using on-board propulsion, the GPS 3 satellite is expected to make its way to a 12,500-mile-high orbit tilted 55 degrees to the equator, taking about 12 hours to complete one orbit.
GPS III has three times better accuracy and up to eight times improved anti-jamming capabilities. The new L1C civil signal also will make it the first GPS satellite broadcasting a compatible signal with other international global navigation satellite systems, like the European Union’s Galileo system.
SpaceX usually attempts to land Falcon 9 first stages shortly after liftoff for future reuse, but not today. Instead, the rocket flew at an expendable configuration, without any landing legs, at the request of the U.S. Air Force, reports Space.com.
Basically, this is because the GPS satellite was loaded with more fuel than usual, increasing the load on the Falcon 9 and requiring more first stage performance.
“The first flight, we’re … making sure we are taking care of the spacecraft, making sure we meet all of its requirements,” said Walter Lauderdale, chief of Falcon Systems Operations Division at the Air Force Space and Missile Center, reports CBS News. “It’s precious cargo, and we want to make sure that it’s up there to do its job.”
