SpaceX launches a GPS satellite of the next generation

• GPS satellite lifted off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
• SpaceX launched a new GPS satellite for the US military.
• The mission delivered the sixth spacecraft in a new generation of GPS satellites.

On Wednesday, SpaceX launched a new GPS satellite for the US military, bolstering the constellation of global positioning and navigation satellites that power smartphone apps, wartime operations, and more.

The GPS satellite lifted off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 7:24 a.m. ET.

SpaceX confirmed the satellite’s deployment in a subsequent tweet that included a video of the moment.

Deployment of the GPS III Space Vehicle 06 confirmed! pic.twitter.com/ACoHueuGqH

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 18, 2023

Lockheed Martin’s next-generation GPS III satellites will modernize the system, with plans to build up to 32 satellites, including the six that have launched since 2019.

Despite the fact that GPS services are commonly used by smartphones, Lockheed Martin notes on its website that it also serves military purposes.

“Space has become a more contested environment — with more-competitive adversaries,” the company’s website reads. “Our warfighters need enhanced capabilities to take on evolving threats. The need to return the focus on GPS as a ‘warfighting system’ has never been clearer.”

The previous generation of GPS satellites began entering service in the late 1990s.

After the launch

After the Falcon 9 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral and burned through most of its fuel, the first stage — the large bottommost portion that provides the initial thrust at liftoff — separated from the rocket’s second stage and the satellite and returned to a precise landing on a platform at sea. It’s a routine maneuver for SpaceX, which recovers and reuses rockets on a regular basis to cut costs.

The first-stage rocket booster used on Wednesday was previously used to launch SpaceX’s Crew-5 mission, which carried four astronauts to the International Space Station in October 2022.

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