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World / Americas

SpaceX successfully launches GPS satellite

Published: 21 Apr 2026 - 12:14 pm | Last Updated: 21 Apr 2026 - 12:16 pm
Peninsula

QNA

Washington, USA: The US Space Exploration Technologies Corp (SpaceX) successfully launched on Tuesday the last of the GPS III satellites dedicated to developing the Global Positioning System (GPS) for the United States Space Force, aboard a Falcon 9 launch vehicle.

A statement issued by the SpaceX said that the Falcon 9 rocket carrying the satellite was launched from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, USA, where this new satellite aims to provide navigation services three times more accurate and enhanced jamming resistance.

The corporation said that the first stage of the rocket returned to Earth successfully about 8.5 minutes after launch, landing on a floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean for use in future missions. Meanwhile, the upper stage continued its propulsion toward medium Earth orbit, deploying the GPS III SV10 there about 90 minutes after launch.

Today's launch is the seventh flight of this particular booster, and it also represents the completion of the third generation of GPS satellites.