A Delta II rocket built by United Launch Alliance of Centennial successfully launched an Air Force Global Positioning System satellite early Tuesday from Cape Canaveral, Fla.
The spacecraft is part of a space-based positioning system designed and operated as a 24-satellite constellation that provides navigational and timing information to military and civilian users around the world.
Tuesday’s 2:34 a.m. MDT launch was the 47th successful GPS launch for the Delta II over 20 years. The Delta II launched the NAVSTAR II-1 in 1989. The NAVSTAR is now commonly known as GPS.
United Launch Alliance is a joint venture formed in 2006 by Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin. Last week, United Launch Alliance won a $600 million NASA contract to launch four missions with the Atlas V rocket beginning in 2011. Ann Schrader, The Denver Post
