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Vice President Visits Cape For SpaceX's First National Security Mission

Vice President Mike Pence delivers remarks at NASA's headquarters in Washington, D.C. Photo: Office of the Vice President / Twitter.

Update: An attempt to launch the Falcon 9 rocket Tuesday was scrubbed due to a fueling issue. SpaceX will attempt to launch the rocket Wednesday at 9:07 AM ET. 

SpaceX is poised to launch its first national security payload for the Air Force Tuesday morning. Vice President Mike Pence is expected to view the launch from Cape Canaveral.

SpaceX is launching Lockheed Martin’s GPS III satellite, the first of a next-generation upgrade to the nation’s global positioning system.

The new satellite will provide navigation and positioning information that’s three times more accurate than currently available and brings anti-jamming technology the the military.

Vice President Mike Pence is expected to watch the launch of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral. Pence serves on the President’s National Space Council.

It’s SpaceX’s first national security mission. The company sued the Air Force back in 2014 over the selection of its rival ULA. SpaceX dropped the suit in 2015 after the Air Force opened more missions for bidding.

SpaceX won the GPS III contract shortly after which is valued at about $82 million. The launch window opens at 9:11 AM ET and weather remains favorable.

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Brendan Byrne is WMFE's Assistant News Director, managing the day-to-day operations of the WMFE newsroom, editing daily news stories, and managing WMFE's internship program.

Byrne also hosts WMFE's weekly radio show and podcast "Are We There Yet?" which explores human space exploration.