SpaceX Completes Last Mission of 2018, Launch a Military GPS Satellite
SpaceX has successfully launched the United States Air Force’s first Global Positioning System (GPS) III satellite, nicknamed Vespucci, from Cape Canaveral, Florida this morning in what was the aerospace company’s first U.S. national security mission to date.
The company had planned to complete the launch, its last of the year, earlier this week but heavy winds imposed delays.
SpaceX won the National Security Space (NSS) contract with the Air Force in 2016 and intends to launch an additional four GPS III missions on Falcon 9, a two-stage rocket manufactured by the company.
The GPS is owned by the U.S. military and operated by the Air Force. Built during the Cold War, it’s been used for commercial purposes since the m...