SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch: GPS III Mission | Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch: GPS III Mission | Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Jan. 18, 2023, lifted off at 7:24 a.m. Eastern from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, carrying a U.S. Space Force GPS satellite. The Falcon 9 launched the Lockheed Martin-built GPS III SV-06—the 6th of the newest version of the satellite known as GPS III. The GPS constellation of 31 satellites operated by the U.S. Space Force provides positioning, navigation and timing signals to military and civilian users. GPS satellites operate in medium Earth orbit at an altitude of 12,550 miles. 

The launch of SV-06 was SpaceX’s fifth GPS mission, its second national security space launch of 2023 and Falcon 9’s 196th flight.

The first stage booster supporting this mission previously launched Crew-5 astronauts to the International Space Station. 

Approximately two and a half minutes after liftoff, the rocket’s first stage separated. Following separation, the first stage landed on the “A Shortfall of Gravitas” drone ship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

GPS III SV06 will augment the current GPS constellation that is comprised of 31 operational spacecraft operating in MEO at an altitude of approximately 20,200 km (12,550 miles) in six orbital planes. Each satellite circles the Earth twice per day. GPS is the premier space-based provider of positioning, navigation, and timing services for more than four billion users worldwide.

This latest generation of GPS satellite boasts a 15-year design life—25 percent longer than the previous generation of GPS satellites on orbit and brings new capabilities to users such as the new L1C civilian signal, which opens the window for future interoperability with international satellite navigation systems.

The payload for this mission is Global Positioning System III Space Vehicle 06 (GPS-III-SV06). It was built in Littleton, Colorado, by Lockheed Martin and it was placed into a medium Earth orbit (MEO) with an operational circular orbit at 20,180 km and an inclination of 55 degrees.

GPS-III-SV06 had a launch mass of 4.352 kg and is named after Amelia Earhart, the famous aviator who became the first woman to cross the Atlantic Ocean solo in 1932. Earhart disappeared during a flight around the world in 1937.

The mission marked the fifth GPS III satellite launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with one previously launched on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) rocket.

GPS III SV06 will augment the current GPS constellation that is comprised of 31 operational spacecraft operating in MEO at an altitude of approximately 20,200 km (12,550 miles) in six orbital planes. Each satellite circles the Earth twice per day. GPS is the premier space-based provider of positioning, navigation, and timing services for more than four billion users worldwide.

This latest generation of GPS satellite boasts a 15-year design life—25 percent longer than the previous generation of GPS satellites on orbit and brings new capabilities to users such as the new L1C civilian signal, which opens the window for future interoperability with international satellite navigation systems.

Credit: SpaceX

Image Date: Jan. 18, 2023

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