The launch attempt of the United Launch Alliance Delta IV with the Air Force’s Global Positioning System IIF SV-1 satellite (GPS IIF SV-1) is rescheduled for Sunday, May 23.
Mission managers expect the telemetry signal issue between the Global Positioning System satellite and the satellite ground support equipment that caused the scrub of Friday’s launch attempt to be resolved in time for a launch attempt Sunday.
The Delta IV rocket and GPS IIF SV-1 satellite are safe and secure at this time. Sunday’s launch window is 11:17-11:35 p.m. EDT. The weather forecast calls for a 70 percent chance of acceptable weather during the launch window.
The GPS IIF system brings next-generation performance to the constellation. The GPS IIF vehicle is critical to U.S. national security and sustaining GPS constellation availability for global civil, commercial and defense applications.
Besides sustaining the GPS constellation, IIF features increased capability and improved mission performance and longevity.
This is a mission of several important firsts. Not only is it the first IIF to be launched, this will be the first GPS satellite to ride on the Delta IV launch vehicle
