The Air Force and Boeing have completed on-orbit check out of the seventh Global Positioning System IIF satellite, according to an Oct. 13 company release. The satellite, which launched on Aug. 1, was declared healthy in its final orbital location Sept. 17 and is providing accurate positioning, navigation, and timing data, states the release. “Handover to the 50th Space Wing is a huge milestone in a GPS satellite’s journey, confirming that it’s been put through its paces and all looks good,” said Dan Hart, vice president of Government Space Systems for Boeing Network & Space Systems. “A transfer as seamless as this one is even more satisfying for our Boeing GPS IIF team.” Boeing has delivered 45 of the 67 GPS satellites to the Air Force, states the release.
Questioned by lawmakers on the state of the Air Force's maintenance depots, Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James C. "Jim" Slife said April 30 that the service is investing in IT and data infrastructure to better sustain new software-intensive platforms—while acknowledging that there is still work to be done to…