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 Space Force wants to emphasize small, low-cost systems and commercial capabilities in the next generation of Silent Barker surveillance satellites, drawing lessons from its work to replace the Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness program.
