spacetoday.net: Delta 4 launches GPS satellite

Delta 4 launches GPS satellite

Posted: Sat, Jul 16, 2011, 9:05 AM ET (1305 GMT)
A Delta 4 rocket, delayed two days by technical and weather issues, successfully launched a GPS satellite early Saturday. The Delta 4 Medium+ 4,2 lifted off from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral at 2:41 am EDT (0641 GMT) and placed the GPS 2F-2 satellite into orbit. The second is the second in a new modernized series of GPS satellites that provide improved accuracy over previous generations. The launch had been scheduled for Thursday but was first postponed a day because of a technical problem, and then delayed another day because of poor weather. The launch was also the third orbital launch in less than 24 hours worldwide, a rare flurry of launch activity.