GPS IIF Launch Set for Thursday

October 1, 2012  - By
Photos from United Launch Alliance

Photos from United Launch Alliance

Lift-off is set for 8:10 a.m. EDT (1210 GMT) Thursday for a GPS IIF satellite, reports Spaceflight Now. GPS IIF-3 will replace an aging 19-year-old craft in plane A, slot 1, part of the program to incrementally upgrade the GPS constellation with greater accuracy, better jam-resistance, and a new civilian aviation signal, all of which are features of the Boeing-build Block IIF series.

The United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket and GPS satellite payload will undergo a final technical assessment today and a readiness review Tuesday before entering into countdown operations Wednesday night.

The 19-minute launch window is timed to deliver the GPS IIF-3 satellite directly into plane A of the navigation network 11,000 miles above Earth.

The satellite is expected to be checked out and ready for handover to Air Force controllers by mid-November, according to Jan Heide, Boeing’s GPS program director.

Photos from United Launch Alliance:

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