Launching a GPS satellite into orbit witnessed today at 7:24am ET by people watching SpaceX rocket launch.
Taking off from SpaceX Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched GPS III Orbit Vehicle 06 into space. The launch had scheduled for 7:10am Eastern Standard Time (12:10 GMT).
SpaceX launch fourth rocket
SpaceX launched its fourth rocket of 2023 with this launch. In keeping with tradition, the Falcon 9’s first stage touched down about eight minutes after launch.
With her name attached to this GPS satellite, Amelia Earhart, first female pilot to cross the Atlantic Ocean, is honor as a pioneer in aviation. In the GPS III series, there have six launches, with Neil Armstrong’s name on the final launch.
Earlier this month, a rocket launched as part of a bigger initiative to update the country’s GPS systems. It will eventually be one of 32 next-generation satellites with an expected lifetime of 15 years, according to its manufacturer, Lockheed Martin.
GPS satellites
GPS satellites in the latest generation are designed to deliver up to three times more accuracy and eight times stronger anti-jamping capabilities as well as to allow better adaptability, as Lockheed Martin claims, in order to meet “evolving mission needs and emerging threats more effectively.”
Nearly half of the world’s population uses GPS technology for a variety of purposes, including transportation, agricultural monitoring, and utility infrastructure, which uses GPS partly to pinpoint service areas. According to the corporation, four billion people rely on GPS technology for a variety of purposes.
As well as the GPS network, there are other satellite navigation systems. The European Union has its own system called Galileo, while Russia has GLONASS and China has Beidou. The independence of GPS systems is often discuss as a crucial issue of national sovereignty and security following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
