Matthew Nelson
A Lockheed Martin-built GPS navigation satellite has been attached onto the payload of United Launch Alliance’s Delta 4 rocket slated to take off on July 25, Spaceflight Now reported Thursday.
Codenamed Magellan, the GPS 3 SV02 satellite was assembled inside the rocket’s payload fairing in Titusville, Fla., and is on its way to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
According to the U.S. Air Force, Magellan completed final tests in an Astrotech payload facility prior to its integration.
Delta 4’s liftoff from Cape Canaveral, which will have a 26-minute launch window, represents the final deployment of the single-core Delta 4-Medium rocket, which is set to be replaced by Atlas 5. Delta 4-Heavy, on the other hand, will perform five more missions through 2024.
