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Boeing Delta II Delivers Lockheed-built GPS Satellite to Orbit |
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CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, Fla., Nov. 18, 2006/Satnews Daily/ ― A Boeing [NYSE: BA] Delta II launch vehicle successfully delivered to orbit on Friday a replenishment Block IIR Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite for the U.S. Air Force.
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 satellite, designated GPS IIR-16M, is the third in a series of eight Block IIR-M spacecraft that Lockheed Martin Navigation Systems is developing for its customer, the Global Positioning Systems Wing, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif. The Block IIR-M series includes new features that enhance operations and navigation signal performance for military and civilian GPS users around the globe.
Each IIR-M satellite includes a modernized antenna panel that provides increased signal power to receivers on the ground, two new military signals for improved accuracy, enhanced encryption and anti-jamming capabilities for the military, and a second civil signal that will provide users with an open access signal on a different frequency.
The Delta II 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.
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.
In addition to the two IIR-M satellites now on-orbit, the satellite launched on Friday joins 12 other operational Block IIR satellites within the overall 29-spacecraft constellation. The modernized navigation payloads are being built by ITT in Clifton, N.J. The satellite upgrades along with final assembly, integration and test is being performed at Lockheed Martin facilities in Valley Forge, Pa.
Lockheed is also leading a team in the competition to build the U.S. Air Force’s next-generation Global Positioning System, GPS Block III. The next-generation program will address the challenging military transformational and civil needs across the globe, including advanced anti-jam capabilities and improved system security, accuracy and reliability.
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.
Recent Stories: Boeing’s Delta II to Launch Next GPS Satellite Today Boeing Delta IV Launches Newest USAF Environmental Satellite Lockheed Completes System Requirements Review for GPS III Second Modernized GPS Satellite Built by Lockheed Begins Service for Users Worldwide |
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