Successful Launch for GPS

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (6/23/04) -- A GPS Block IIR satellite was successfully launched from Cape Canaveral aboard a Delta II rocket on June 23, 2004. The unit will replace an aging satellite as part of routine constellation management.

"The launch countdown for GPS IIR-12 was the smoothest one that I had ever seen," said Wayne Goodman, General Manager, Launch Vehicle Engineering and Analysis. The mission was the 37th consecutive launch success for the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, he said.

The launch occurred on the fourth attempt; the first three were scrubbed because of thunderstorms. "On the second launch attempt, there was a concern that the vehicle may have been damaged by high winds," said Goodman. Analyses performed by the launch contractor and reviewed by Aerospace validated that the vehicle was undamaged, he said. Visual inspections performed by the contractor and Aerospace also did not reveal any damage to the vehicle.

This was the 51st GPS satellite launched and the 40th carried on a Delta II. It marked the second of three GPS replacement missions scheduled for 2004. The next is slated for liftoff in late September.