SpaceX launches GPS satellite from Cape Canaveral, lands on drone ship
Space is important to us and that’s why we're working to bring you top coverage of the industry and Florida launches. Journalism like this takes time and resources. Please support it with a subscription here.
---
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket soared into clear morning skies over Cape Canaveral early Wednesday, taking the latest Global Positioning System satellite to orbit on the Space Coast's fourth launch of the year.
At 7:24 a.m. EST, the 230-foot rocket boosted the sixth GPS III satellite, known as GPS III-6, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Launch Complex 40 through a northeastern corridor. A few minutes later, the 162-foot first stage landed on the "Shortfall of Gravitas" drone ship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
Looking ahead:Space Force: Still expecting hundreds of Florida launches in the coming years
Big year:NASA administrator expects 2023 to be 'game-changing' for the space agency
Rocket launch schedule: Upcoming Florida launches and landings
Wednesday's flight marked the second flight for this particular booster. Its only previous mission was NASA's Crew-5, which took three astronauts and a cosmonaut to the International Space Station in October.
Falcon 9's mission was to deliver the latest GPS satellite, built by Lockheed Martin near Denver, Colorado, to a medium-Earth orbit (MEO) some 12,550 miles above. It was slated to separate from the rocket's second stage about 90 minutes after liftoff.
“GPS III satellites increase our ability to provide military and civilian users with more robust and accurate signals that enable everyday operations such as navigation and search and rescue operations," Cordell DeLaPena Jr., program executive officer of the positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) directorate, said in a Space Force statement.
Once it reaches its designated orbital position, the roughly 8,200-pound spacecraft will join an existing constellation of 31 GPS satellites. Each circles Earth twice a day. Some four billion users take advantage of the GPS constellation at no charge.
The mission was SpaceX's fifth for the GPS program since 2018. All have flown on Falcon 9 rockets.
Wednesday's launch was likely the last in the short-term. At least one Starlink internet mission was planned for this month, but SpaceX has not yet requested a firm date. The company was also slated to fly a communications satellite for Spanish operator Hispasat later this month, but that mission is also not yet firmly on the range schedule.
For the latest, visit floridatoday.com/launchschedule.
Contact Emre Kelly at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @EmreKelly.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: SpaceX launches GPS satellite from Cape Canaveral, lands on drone ship
