spacetoday.net: Delta 2 launches GPS satellite

Posted: Wed, Jan 29, 2003, 8:59 PM ET (0159 GMT)
Delta 2 launch of GPS 2R-8 (Boeing/Spaceflight Now)

A Delta 2 successfully launched an Air Force Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite and a technology demonstration microsatellite Wednesday afternoon. The Boeing Delta 2 7925-9.5 lifted off from Pad 17B of the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 1:06 pm EST (1806 GMT); its primary payload, the GPS 2R-8 spacecraft, separated from the booster's third stage 68 minutes later. The Lockheed Martin-built GPS spacecraft will replace an existing satellite in the constellation, SVN-22, that was launched ten years ago. The launch was originally scheduled for last spring but was delayed first because of reviews of the vehicle's wiring and its self-destruct system, and then when a launch pad mishap damaged part of the booster's upper stage. The Delta 2 also carried a small secondary payload, a technology demonstration microsatellite called XSS-10. The microsat is scheduled to deploy from the Delta 2's second stage early Thursday for a brief 24-hour mission, maneuvering around the second stage and transmitting live video.