SpaceX launches first GPS 3 satellite
by Caleb Henry — December 23, 2018
https://spacenews.com/spacex-launches-first-gps-3-satellite/SpaceX launched the U.S. Air Force’s newest GPS satellite Dec. 23 on a Falcon 9 rocket, completing the company’s 21st and final launch of the year.
The rocket lifted off at 8:51 a.m. Eastern from Cape Canaveral, Florida, following technical and weather-related delays that pushed the mission out five days. Its payload, the first GPS 3 satellite from Lockheed Martin, separated from the rocket one hour and 59 minutes later.
The launch was a double milestone for SpaceX, setting a new record over last year’s 18 launches, and fulfilling the company’s first defense mission competed through the Air Force’s Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program.
SpaceX’s record annual performance, which included the first-ever launch of a Falcon Heavy, was nonetheless short of the company’s initial forecast of 30 to 40 launches. SpaceX has increased its launch cadence rapidly, up from eight missions in 2016 and six in 2015 (Falcon 9 failures in both those years limited launch rates).
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