spacetoday.net: Delta 2 launches GPS satellite

Posted: Sat, Nov 6, 2004, 9:10 AM ET (1410 GMT)
Delta 2 launch of GPS 2R-13 (Boeing)

A long-delayed Delta 2 finally lifted off early Saturday, placing a GPS satellite into orbit. The Delta 2 7925 lifted off from pad 17B at Cape Canaveral at 12:39 am EST (0539 GMT); its payload, the GPS 2R-13 satellite, separated from the Delta's upper stage 25 minutes later. The launch had been postponed for about six weeks by the passage of two hurricanes, as well as technical problems. A launch attempt early Friday was scrubbed because of ground equipment problems and a last-minute computer glitch. The satellite, built by Lockheed Martin, will replenish the existing fleet of Global Positioning System navigation satellites. Another Delta 2 launch, carrying NASA's Swift astronomy satellite, is scheduled for later this month, also from the Cape.