Boeing Receives First Signals from Ninth GPS IIF Satellite; Dan Hart Comments

Boeing Co. has received the first signals of its ninth global positioning system IIF satellite from space.

Boeing said the GPS IIF took off Wednesday aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida and reached the orbit after more than three hours.

Aerojet Rocketdyne supplied the propulsion system that contains an RS-68 booster engine, RL10B-2 upper-stage engine, multiple attitude control thrusters and six helium pressurization tanks, while Orbital ATK provided the solar arrays, GEM-60 solid rocket motors, large composite structures and main engine nozzle.

Dan Hart, vice president of Boeing government space systems, said the IIFs are designed to modernize the GPS constellation by bolstering their signal strength and anti-jamming system.

“We are also introducing the L-5 civilian ‘safety-of-life’ signal intended mainly for aviation and transportation,” he added.

The latest mission marks the first of three launches planned in 2015 following the launch of four GPS IIF missions last year.

The ninth GPS IIF is set to undergo on-orbit testing and checkout prior to its full operation.