spacetoday.net: Delta 2 launches GPS satellite

Delta 2 launches GPS satellite

Posted: Fri, Nov 17, 2006, 8:46 PM ET (0146 GMT)
Delta 2 launch of GPS 2R-15 satellite (Boeing)

A Delta 2 rocket launched a new Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation satellite after weather pushed back the launch one day. The Delta 2 lifted off from pad 17A at Cape Canaveral at 2:12 pm EST (1912 GMT), placing the GPS-2R 16 satellite into a transfer orbit 68 minutes later. The launch had been scheduled for Thursday but was postponed by inclement weather. The satellite is the third in a series of modernized GPS 2R-M satellites that feature new military and civil signals as well as enhanced encryption and anti-jamming capabilities. There are now a total of 29 GPS satellites in the existing constellation, including 12 Block 2R satellites.