Air Force launches GPS satellite on Atlas V rocket
The Air Force has a new advanced GPS satellite in orbit.
An unmanned Atlas V (five) rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station late Wednesday morning. It hoisted the 10th in the Air Force's latest-generation of GPS satellites.
On-board cameras showed the launch pad below, then the clear outline of the cape as the rocket climbed through a hazy sky and out over the Atlantic.
1st Lt. Alain Sothikhoun says the next GPS launch is scheduled for October. He says each new generation of GPS offers improved accuracy.
Sothikhoun says more than 1 billion people use the GPS navigation system any given day. In all, more than 30 GPS satellites are orbiting our world. Friday marks the 20th anniversary of when GPS was declared fully operational.
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