GPS III Space Vehicle 06 (SV06) was launched this morning from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. It is the 18th GPS satellite to broadcast the L5 signal. On Jan. 12, the Space Force Space Systems Command (SSC) announced that SV06 had completed encapsulation within the Falcon 9 payload.
The space vehicle’s fairing protects it from the harsh transient environment, such as subsonic shock and extreme temperatures experienced during launch. The launch of SV06 contributed to the SSC’s objective to create resilient GPS, which ensures all users have access to stable positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services.
Lockheed Martin Space Systems is the main contractor for the GPS III SV06 space vehicle and SpaceX provided launch services. This is Falcon 9’s fifth GPS launch since SpaceX launched GPS III-2 in December 2018.