I think that last sentence is an error on the Spaceflight now site and the switch was from Delta IV to F9. Here's the full quote, "A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the U.S. Air Force’s first third-generation navigation satellite for the Global Positioning System. Delayed from May 3 and late 2017. Switched from a United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket. The third GPS 3-series satellite will now launch on a Delta 4. [Feb. 8]"The last two sentences are incongruous. If you look at the 'Latest Changes' section for Feb 8 you will see "Switching GPS 3-01 from Delta 4 to Falcon 9"
With the latest contract awards, SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets are slated to launch five of the Air Force’s first six new GPS 3-series navigation satellites, beginning as soon as September with the launch of the GPS 3-1 spacecraft. The second GPS 3 satellite is set for launch on a Falcon 9 booster no earlier than March 2019, followed by the launch of the GPS 3-3 satellite later next year on a ULA Delta 4 rocket.
“Our team has two primary goals this year,” said Dave Wajsgras, president of Raytheon Intelligence, Information and Services. “We will support the U.S. Air Force’s GPS 3 launch this fall and complete the software build for the full operational system by year’s end.”
Once complete, the team will begin integration and testing to keep the program on track for full system delivery in June 2021.
The planned launch of the first GPS III satellite has shifted from March 2018 to late 2018, due to an Air Force decision in spring 2017 to launch the satellite on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket instead of a United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket. The launch date change was necessary because a Falcon 9 rocket launch of the satellite would not be ready before May 2018, according to Air Force officials. Ongoing SpaceX efforts to validate and certify that the Falcon 9 is able to launch the GPS III satellite pushed the projected launch date beyond May 2018.Because of extensive delays to OCX—the next generation GPS operational control system that will enable the full range of GPS III capabilities—the GPS III program expects to have delivered at least the first nine satellites and to have awarded a contract for additional satellites before operational testing of the satellite with OCX Block 1 confirms the satellite’s modernized signal capabilities. ...According to the program office, that second satellite is on track to deliver by August 2018.
Does anyone know/can anyone say if the first GPS III satellite has shipped to the Cape?
Falcon 9 will launch Telstar 18 VANTAGE from pad 40 on August 23 at 11:33pm EDT. The next Falcon launch after that is scheduled for November.http://www.launchphotography.com/Delta_4_Atlas_5_Falcon_9_Launch_Viewing.htmlWhat do you think the reason is behind the delay ?? Maybe air force certification of block 5 or a satellite related issue ?
Quote from: mazen hesham on 08/07/2018 12:18 amFalcon 9 will launch Telstar 18 VANTAGE from pad 40 on August 23 at 11:33pm EDT. The next Falcon launch after that is scheduled for November.http://www.launchphotography.com/Delta_4_Atlas_5_Falcon_9_Launch_Viewing.htmlWhat do you think the reason is behind the delay ?? Maybe air force certification of block 5 or a satellite related issue ?Our Manifest has SAOCOM launching in September. Note that DM-1 was once-upon-a-time scheduled for September but will wait for November based on ISS Visiting Vehicle scheduling.This is the second time this week you have made declarations about the manifest that depart from the consensus with no backup. Please look around a bit more before posting like this.
That schedule’s slipped again, the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center said in a statement to Bloomberg News. The launch date “has been officially moved by mutual agreement” to December “to complete qualification testing and” one-time validation of SpaceX’s new Falcon 9 Block 5 design, the command said.
News Release Issued: Aug 21, 2018 (9:07am EDT)U.S. Air Force Declares Second Lockheed Martin GPS III Satellite "Available for Launch"
"The first GPS III satellite, GPS III SV01, was declared 'Available for Launch' in September 2017. It is now being prepared for shipment to Cape Canaveral, Florida for a launch before the end of the year," said Johnathon Caldwell, Lockheed Martin's program manager for Navigation Systems.
Air Force reports first GPS III spacecraft -- nicknamed “Vespucci” in honor of Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci -- has arrived in Titusville to prepare for December launch on SpaceX Falcon 9.
Going to Astrotech vs Navstar facility on the Cape, which is now a Spacex facility
Quote from: Jim on 08/23/2018 04:42 pmGoing to Astrotech vs Navstar facility on the Cape, which is now a Spacex facilityThe former Navstar facility is the Dragon 2 processing area?
A government and contractor team loads the first GPS III satellite for transport aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, Aug. 20 at Buckley AFB, Colorado to begin processing for a December launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. (U.S. Air Force photo by Lt. Col. Erin Gulden)0uckley AFB, Colorado to begin processing for a December launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. (U.S. Air Force photo by Lt. Col. Erin Gulden)LOS ANGELES AIR FORCE BASE, Calif -- The U.S. Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) Global Positioning Systems (GPS) Directorate achieved a major program milestone Aug. 21, successfully delivering the first GPS III satellite to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida to begin launch processing. “The shipment of the first GPS III satellite to the launch processing facility is a hallmark achievement for the program,” said Lt. Gen. John F. Thompson, SMC commander and Air Force program executive officer for Space. “The modernization of GPS has been an outstanding collaborative effort and this brings us another step closer to launch.” The satellite, dubbed “Vespucci” in honor of Amerigo Vespucci, the Italian explorer for whom the Americas were named, was transported in a custom container from the Lockheed Martin factory facility in Waterton, Colorado to the Space Coast Regional Airport in Titusville, Florida, by a C-17 Globemaster III originating from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. The transportation crew consisted of both contractor and government personnel who oversaw the entire operation to ensure that the conditions of the transport environment would not damage any of the satellite’s sensitive components.The delivery of Satellite Vehicle 01 (SV01) starts the clock for final testing and checkout of the space vehicle prior to launch. The satellite will be processed at the Astrotech Space Operations Florida facility. A government and contractor team will ensure the integrity of the satellite after shipment by performing a Mission Readiness Test to verify the health and safety of the vehicle, as well as communication compatibility with the ground operations center. The team will then prepare for propellant loading and encapsulate the satellite in its protective fairing. At the completion of these activities, the satellite will be headed for a first of its kind horizontal integration with the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle.“While the launch of the last GPS IIF satellite marked the end of an era, the upcoming GPS III launch will be the start of a brand new one,” said Col. Steven Whitney, director of the GPS Directorate. “It is the first of our new GPS III satellites, first to integrate with a SpaceX rocket, first to interact with elements of GPS’ Next Generation Operational Control System (OCX) Block 0, and first to have spacecraft acquisition and on-orbit checkout from Lockheed Martin facilities. We are excited to be at this point and we are ready for the upcoming launch of Vespucci.”The modernized GPS III SV01 is slated to launch in December. It will augment the current constellation of 31 operational GPS satellites. GPS delivers the gold standard in positioning, navigation, and timing services supporting vital U.S. and allied operations worldwide, and underpins critical financial, transportation, and agricultural infrastructure that billions of users have come to depend on daily.Media representatives who would like to interview a subject matter expert or learn more about the GPS III SV01 launch, send an email to [email protected]