ULA Launched GPS IIR-18(M)- Latest GPS Satellite

This year is pivoted to development of space industry particularly the GPS sector and recently United Alliance Delta II rocket has successfully launched what the company believed to be the latest GPS satellite into orbit making it to be the fifth in a series of eight Block II R-M satellites built by Lockheed Martin. The satellite was launched from Cape Canaveral following a nominal 68-minute flight and this was the second GPS IIR-M mission within two months. Don Lockheed Martin's vice president of Navigation Systems said that "The successful deployment of this high-performance satellite represents another important milestone in the modernization of the GPS constellation and reflects our commitment to achieving mission success for our customer. Our team is now focused on performing a rapid and efficient on-orbit checkout to quickly place the satellite's advanced navigational capabilities into operational service." The satellite, designated GPS IIR-18 (M), will join the four IIR-M satellites and 12 operational IIR satellites currently in the GPS constellation, which comprises 31 operational satellites overall. GPS IIR-18 (M) will be replacing space vehicle number (SVN) 36, which in turn will replace SVN 37, and be placed in orbital slot C1, according to the U.S. Air Force. Each IIR-M satellite includes a modernized antenna panel that provides increased signal power to receivers on the ground, two new military signals for improved accuracy, enhanced encryption and anti-jamming capabilities for the military, and a second civil signal that will provide users with an open-access signal on a different frequency. The launch marked a milestone for United Launch Alliance, the 50-50 joint venture formed between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, which are otherwise corporate rivals. The ULA uses both Boeing-supplied Delta and Lockheed Martin-supplied Atlas launch vehicles. The ULA vice president of Delta Programs while passing a comment said that "With the launch of GPS IIR-18 (M), ULA completes a tremendously successful first year of operation and demonstrates its commitment to 100 percent mission success." He concluded by saying that, come next year , ULA currently has 23 scheduled launches on the manifest from six launch complexes, which include 16 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, and seven from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Among those launches are several GPS satellite missions.