Air Force Space Command’s 45th Space Wing and industry partners launched a Global Positioning System IIR-M satellite aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II booster on Oct. 17. The Lockheed Martin-built GPS Block IIR-17M satellite features enhanced operations and navigation signal performance for both military and civilian customers, per a company release. This spacecraft, launched from Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla., is the fourth IIR-M to go on orbit.
The Space Force’s small size has limited its capacity to consider what role it will play in future operations on and around the moon. That needs to change, according to Vice Chief of Operations Gen. Shawn Bratton.
