The U.S. Space Force has swapped rockets for an upcoming GPS satellite launch.<\/p>\n
Next month’s GPS III-8 mission had been slated to fly atop United Launch Alliance (ULA)’s new Vulcan Centaur<\/a> rocket. But Vulcan has experienced issues<\/a> with its solid rocket boosters (SRBs), so the Space Force<\/a> is moving the GPS spacecraft onto a SpaceX<\/a> Falcon 9.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “With this change, we are answering the call for rapid delivery of advanced GPS<\/a> capability while the Vulcan anomaly investigation continues,” Space Force Col. Ryan Hiserote, Space Systems Command System Delta 80 commander and National Security Space Launch system program director, said in a statement<\/a> today (March 20).<\/p>\n Article continues below <\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n “We are once again demonstrating our team’s flexibility and are fully committed to leverage all options available for responsive and reliable launch for the nation,” Hiserote added.<\/p>\n Vulcan Centaur, the successor to ULA’s workhorse Atlas V<\/a> rocket, debuted in January 2024<\/a> and has flown three more times since. An SRB anomaly cropped up on two of those four flights \u2014 Vulcan’s national security payload certification launch in October 2024<\/a> and the USSF-87<\/a> mission for the Space Force last month.<\/p>\n Vulcan overcame the problem both times, successfully reaching orbit and notching its mission goals. But the Space Force was concerned enough that, in late February, it announced it would pause<\/a> Vulcan national security flights until an investigation into the glitches was complete.<\/p>\n So today’s news about the GPS III-8 mission is not terribly surprising. If all goes to plan, the satellite \u2014 the 10th and final one in the GPS III line \u2014 will lift off no earlier than late April from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station<\/a> in Florida.<\/p>\n Vulcan Centaur, in return, will launch USSF-70, a national security mission that had been manifested on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy<\/a>. USSF-70 will fly no earlier than summer 2028, according to Space Force officials.<\/p>\n