CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION — SpaceX’s launch of a U.S. Space Force GPS satellite has been pushed back.
What You Need To Know
- The Falcon 9 rocket will send up GPS III-9 mission
The Falcon 9 rocket will send up GPS III-9 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, stated SpaceX.
The launch window will open at 11:38 p.m. ET Tuesday, and it will last 15 minutes. A backup opportunity is available at 11:34 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
So, SpaceX needs to launch this satellite during that timeframe.
It was originally going to launch on Sunday going into Monday.
There has been no word as to why the launch has been pushed back.
Find out more about the weather criteria for a Falcon 9 launch.
Taking the fifth
This will be the fifth mission for the Falcon 9’s first-stage booster B1096.
It has experience launching all types of satellites.
After the stage separation, the first-stage rocket will land on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas that will be in the Atlantic Ocean.
About the mission
The satellite, officially called Global Positioning System (GPS) III Space Vehicle (SV)09, is named in honor of Col. Ellison Onizuka, who was a U.S. Air Force test pilot and a mission specialist on the space shuttle Challenger mission that blew up, stated the U.S. Space Force.
On Thursday, NASA held a Day of Remembrance for fallen astronauts.
The U.S. Space Force shared the following about the satellite.
“GPS III satellites, equipped with M-Code technology, provide the warfighter with a significantly more accurate and jam-resistant capability. Adding another such satellite to the constellation enhances the system’s robustness and ultimately boosts the warfighting lethality of the Joint Force,” it stated.
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