Boeing’s Delta II to Launch Next GPS Satellite on Nov. 15

ST. LOUIS, Nov. 14, 2006/Satnews Daily/ ― The next Global Positioning Satellite (GPS IIR-16) is to be launched on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2006, at 2:21 pm EST aboard a Boeing Delta 2 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Boeing Integrated Defense System said the launch window will open Wednesday, November 15th, at 1921 GMT (2:21 pm EST) and close at 1934 GMT (2:34 pm EST).

The U.S. Air Force has designated the satellite to be launched on Wednesday as GPS IIR-16/M3, PRN15/SVN55.

A successful launch would bring the number of GPS satellites in orbit to 31, assuming no satellites are decommissioned. GPS enthusiasts, quoting from Air Force reports says, the number may even reach 32. Expansion of the constellation has prompted the Air Force to reserve an additional 60 code designations in Section 6 of the Interface Control Document (GPS-ICD-200), which GPS receiver manufacturers will probably need to incorporate into future products, according to GPS observers.

On September 25 this year, a Delta II launch vehicle successfully delivered to orbit a replenishment Block IIR Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite for the U.S. Air Force. The GPS IIR-15 (M) became operational on October 12.

Boeing provides launches for the GPS program aboard Delta II vehicles and has a planned GPS manifest through at least 2007. The GPS IIR-15 (M) is the second of the modernized GPS satellites that incorporates various improvements to provide 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 use includes mapping, aerial refueling and rendezvous, geodetic surveys, and search and rescue operations.

GPS provides military and civilian users three-dimensional 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.

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