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GPS Satellite Update Launches To Orbit
The last of a dozen satellites to help you navigate using your GPS made it to orbit.
The final Global Positioning Satellite hitched a ride to space thanks to United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing. ULA launched the GPS IIF-12 satellite on an Atlas V rocket.
While the GPS system is operated by the Air Force, it’s the same one civilians use on their cell phones or car navigation.
The Atlas V rocket uses Russian-made engines, and the U.S. Air Force has come under fire recently for using them – most vocally from U.S. Senator John McCain.
The rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 41 at 8:38 a.m.
#GPSIIF12 Video from #KennedySpaceCenter LC-39 Observation Gantry. pic.twitter.com/S2X57ty0aH
— KSC Visitor Complex (@ExploreSpaceKSC) February 5, 2016
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