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SpaceX launches advanced GPS satellite from Cape Canaveral
SpaceX launched an advanced Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite for the U.S. Space Force from Florida’s Space Coast on Tuesday night.
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - SpaceX launched an advanced Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite for the U.S. Space Force from Florida’s Space Coast on Tuesday night.
The GPS-III satellite was carried into medium-Earth orbit by a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
SpaceX had targeted Monday for the launch, but poor weather conditions caused the launch to be pushed back.
This marked the fifth flight for the first-stage booster, which will aim to land on the droneship "A Shortfall of Gravitas" in the Atlantic Ocean.
GPS III-9 mission
The launch is for the GPS III-9 mission, which was originally set to be launched by United Launch Alliance on its Vulcan rocket.
The satellite is part of an effort to modernize the GPS constellation.
According to the Space Force, the GPS III satellites are equipped with M-Code technology and provide more accurate and jam-resistant capabilities.
"Adding another such satellite to the constellation enhances the system’s robustness and ultimately boosts the warfighting lethality of the Joint Force," the agency said in a news release.
The Source: This story was written with information from the U.S. Space Force and SpaceX.