Chalk One Up For Boeing IDS
Boeing's workhorse Delta II launch booster successfully lifted a
replenishment Block IIR Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite
for the US Air Force on Sunday.
The Delta II rocket carrying the GPS IIR-15 (M) spacecraft
lifted off from Space Launch Complex 17A at Cape Canaveral Air
Force Station, FL at 2:50 pm EDT September 24. Following a nominal
68-minute flight, the rocket deployed the satellite to a transfer
orbit.
"We are honored to have a continuing role in maintaining the GPS
constellation, which is so vital to our nation's defense and
security," said Dan Collins, vice president, Boeing Launch Systems.
"The Delta team has launched all the GPS-II spacecraft and we look
forward to continuing with the delivery of the replenishment
satellites to keep the constellation operable 24-7."
The Boeing Delta II 7925-9.5 configuration vehicle used for the
mission featured a Boeing first stage booster powered by a Pratt
& Whitney Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and nine Alliant
Techsystems (ATK) solid rocket boosters. An Aerojet AJ10-118K
engine powered the storable propellant restartable second stage. A
Thiokol Star-48B solid rocket motor propelled the third stage prior
to spacecraft deployment. The rocket also flew with a
nine-and-a-half-foot-diameter Boeing payload fairing.
A redundant inertial flight control assembly built by L3
Communications Space & Navigation provided guidance and control
for the rocket that enabled a precise deployment of the
satellite.
Boeing provides launches for the GPS program aboard Delta II
vehicles and has a planned GPS manifest through at least 2007. The
GPS IIR-15 (M) is the second of the modernized GPS satellites that
incorporates various improvements to provide greater accuracy,
increased resistance to interference and enhanced performance for
users.
The GPS network supports U.S. military operations conducted from
aircraft, ships, land vehicles and by ground personnel. Additional
use includes mapping, aerial refueling and rendezvous, geodetic
surveys, and search and rescue operations.
GPS provides military and civilian users three-dimensional
position location data in longitude, latitude and elevation as well
as precise time and velocity. The satellites orbit the Earth every
12 hours, emitting continuous navigation signals. The signals are
so accurate, time can be figured to within one millionth of a
second, velocity within a fraction of a mile-per-second and
location to within 100 feet.
A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems
is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses.
Headquartered in St. Louis, MO, Boeing Integrated Defense
Systems is a $30.5 billion business.