A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched the U.S. military's newest Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite on May 30, marking another step in modernizing the GPS constellation.
The rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 1:37 p.m. Eastern Time, carrying the GPS III SV-08 satellite, the eighth spacecraft in the U.S. Space Force's third-generation GPS program. Approximately 90 minutes after liftoff, SpaceX confirmed the satellite was deployed into its intended medium Earth orbit, roughly 12,550 miles above the planet.
Following launch, the Falcon 9's first-stage booster made a successful return, landing on a droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
Built by Lockheed Martin, GPS III SV-08 is part of a Pentagon contract signed in 2008 for 10 GPS III satellites. Compared to previous generations, these satellites offer nearly eight times greater anti-jamming capabilities and enhanced accuracy and reliability. They also broadcast the encrypted M-code signal for military use and the civilian L5 signal, which is designed to improve safety in aviation and other transportation.
“Every launch makes the GPS constellation more accurate and resilient,” said Col. Andrew Menschner, commander of Mission Delta 31, which manages the GPS constellation from Colorado Springs, Colorado. He added that the current constellation includes 31 active satellites, seven spares on orbit, and two additional GPS III satellites ready for launch.
SV-08 will undergo post-launch checkout from Lockheed Martin's operations center in Denver before integration into the operational GPS network.
Originally scheduled to launch on United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur rocket, the satellite was reassigned to SpaceX to accelerate deployment. The Vulcan Centaur, recently certified for national security missions, is expected to start flying such payloads later this summer.
The shift highlights SpaceX's growing dominance in U.S. national security launches. This mission was SpaceX's fifth national security launch of the year, with around a dozen more planned before year-end.