Satellite launched for Air Force’s GPS program

The United Launch Alliance company, a consortium comprised of Boeing and Lockheed Martin, on Wednesday successfully launched a satellite for the U.S. Air Force’s GPS program on board an Atlas V rocket.

The rocket lifted off at 1:21 p.m. from the SLC41 launch complex at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The launch comes a day after the failed launch of an Orbital Sciences rocket carrying a cargo capsule into orbit with more than 2 tons of supplies for the International Space Station. The rocket blew up in a spectacular explosion seconds after liftoff from the space complex at Wallops Island, Virginia.

The Atlas V will place the GPS IIF8 satellite into orbit, which is the eighth in a series of new generation global positioning satellites that will circle 17,700 km (about 11,000 mi.) above the Earth.

The IIF8 incorporates several improvements to provide greater precision and signal improvement for GPS users.

This is the third GPS IIF satellite launched on board an Atlas V rocket and the 50th launch of a rocket of this type.