A Boeing-built GPS satellite has transmitted the first signals from space following the spacecraft’s launch on Friday.
GPS IIF-7 took off aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida to join a constellation of other satellites used for timing and navigation missions, Boeing said Saturday.
“We are providing our Air Force partner and GPS users with a steady supply of advanced GPS IIFs,†said Craig Cooning, president of Boeing network and space systems.
The satellite, designed for signal accuracy and anti-jamming functions, is set to achieve full on-orbit checkout in September.
GPS IIF-7 is the third of 12 such satellites that Boeing launched into space in 2014.