August 22nd, GPS III SVO2

9:06 am EST atop an Atlas V medium, from SLC-37B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fl.

ULA (United Launch Alliance) used a Delta IV rocket to launch the second GPS (Global Positioning System III) satellite built by Lockheed Martin for the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center. This is the next step in modernizing the worldwide navigation network with a new generation of advanced satellites to offer improved accuracy.

This marked the final launch of the Delta IV medium variant, with a total of 29 launches of the medium this marked the 73rd overall GPS launch by a ULA or Heritage vehicle. The Delta IV rocket has served the nation's hight Air Force and National Reconnaissance missions with distinction since entering service in 2002. The vehicle also launched NASA's Orion capsule on its first orbital test flight in 2014 and sent the Parker Solar Probe on its journey to be the fastest robot in history.