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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A U.S. Space Force navigation satellite will hitch a ride into space Thursday on a reused Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral.
The rocket will launch the fifth Global Positioning System III satellite for the Space Force from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Launch Complex 40.
The booster, or first stage, of the Falcon 9 previously launched the GPS III-4 satellite in November 2020 on a national security mission. The Pentagon recently approved SpaceX to fly national security missions on flight-proven or used hardware. Now the GPS III-5 satellite is flying on the same booster as the fourth GPS spacecraft.
The move to fly on used hardware will save the U.S. military tens of millions of dollars. SpaceX repeatedly launches and lands its boosters to drive down cost and increase launch cadence.
Liftoff is scheduled during a 15-minute launch window opening at 12:09 p.m. Thursday.
Weather officers with the 45th Weather Squadron are giving favorable launch conditions a 70% chance but launch teams may have to dodge showers or lightning.
“Given the continued southwest flow and moderate instability, isolated showers and storms cannot be ruled out as we head into the launch window just after noon,” according to the forecast.
The primary concerns will be lightning and cloud cover. There is also a moderate risk of upper-level wind shear.
The Link LonkJune 17, 2021 at 06:02AM
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SpaceX launching Space Force satellite on reused rocket booster - WKMG News 6 & ClickOrlando
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