The sixth Global Positioning System IIF satellite successfully launched May 16 from Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla., aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket. “Today’s successful launch demonstrates our combined government and industry team’s dedication to mission success, ensuring GPS continues to be the gold standard for space based positioning, navigation, and timing,” said Col. Bill Cooley, director of the Space and Missile Systems Center’s Global Positioning Systems Directorate, in a May 16 release. The Air Force accepted control of the fifth of 12 GPS IIF satellites from Boeing in April.
The Massachusetts Air National Guard’s 104th Fighter Wing received its first F-35A Joint Strike Fighter on Sept. 13, becoming the latest unit to get its hands on the new fifth-generation jet.
