CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, Fla., Oct. 29, 2014 – The 8th Boeing [NYSE: BA] Global Positioning System (GPS) IIF has signaled controllers it is functioning properly after launching today, marking another step in the modernization of the satellite constellation that's relied on by millions of people worldwide.
This was the fourth, and final, GPS IIF launch scheduled for the U.S. Air Force this year. Liftoff from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, on a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, occurred at 1:21 p.m. Eastern time, with signal acquisition about three and a half hours later. The satellite is to enter full operational service during December.
The next GPS IIF launch is expected during the first quarter of 2015. The Air Force ordered 12 in total, and four remaining satellites are stored and maintained at the Boeing Satellite Development Center in El Segundo, Calif. The GPS IIFs are continuing modernization with improved accuracy and anti-jamming as well as bringing into service the new civil L5 signal.