GPS satellite operating properly after launch

A Boeing-built Global Positioning System (GPS) IIF satellite, launched Friday, has sent the signals to controllers that confirm it is currently operating properly within the constellation that millions of people rely on for timing and navigation information.

GPS IIF-7 was launched aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas-5 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla. It is the seventh of 12 such satellites Boeing has built for the U.S. Air Force, and the third on-orbit delivery this year.

Boeing and the Air Force will complete the full on-orbit checkout of the satellite next month. The GPS IIFs offer improved signal accuracy, better anti-jamming capability, longer design life and the new civilian L5 signal.

Created by the Department of Defense to enhance U.S. military warfighting capability, GPS is available for use, free of charge, to anyone with a GPS receiver. U.S. and allied military forces use GPS devices in virtually every system to improve their capabilities and effectiveness. From finance to farming to tracking packages, use by the civilian community continues to grow rapidly and new commercial applications are continuously being developed.

GPS IIF-7, launched Friday, is the seventh in a series of next-generation GPS satellites and will join a worldwide timing and navigation system utilizing satellites positioned in orbit above the Earth's surface. The sixth GPS IIF was launched May 16. GPS IIF-8, slated for launch during the fourth quarter, arrived at Cape Canaveral on July 16 to undergo final launch preparations.