Latest GPS satellite launched

A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket launched the US Air Force’s Global Positioning System (GPS) IIF-4 satellite on 15 May from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The Atlas V flew in the 401 vehicle configuration with a four-metre fairing and a single-engine Centaur upper stage.

GPS IIF-4 is the fourth satellite delivered by prime contractor Boeing as part of the GPS IIF contract for 12 next-generation GPS satellites. GPS IIF series continues to modernise the GPS constellation while providing positioning, navigation and timing services to civil and military users worldwide.

An Atlas V rocket blasts off from Space Launch Complex-41 carrying the (GPS) IIF-4 satellite. Credit: ULA

The Block IIF series will replace the GPS Block IIA satellites that were launched between 1990 and 1997. The IIF series provide improved accuracy, enhanced internal atomic clocks, better anti-jam resistance, a civil signal for commercial aviation and a longer design life.