| Scheduled for (UTC) | 2024-12-17, 00:52 | |
|
| | Scheduled for (local) | 2024-12-16, 19:52 (EST) | | Launch site | SLC-40, Cape Canaveral SFS, Florida, USA | | Booster | B1085-4 | | Landing | A Shortfall of Gravitas | | Payload | GPS Block III | | Customer | US Space Force | | Mission success criteria | Successful delivery of payload to Medium Earth Orbit |
Webcasts
| Stream | Link | |
|
| | Space Affairs | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvwfwtWB_18 | | Spaceflight Now | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_-Bb0G8kfw | | NASASpaceflight | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZDlyQ1c9OA | | The Launch Pad | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSzrSaLi68U | | SpaceX | https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1868818906900828466 | | The Space Devs | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Knv7ysseMSQ |
Stats
Sourced from NextSpaceflight and r/SpaceX:
☑️ 61st launch from SLC-40 this year
☑️ 8 days, 19:38:30 turnaround for this pad
☑️ 59th consecutive successful Falcon 9 launch (if successful)
☑️ 91st landing on ASOG
☑️ 386th Falcon family booster landing, 400th Falcon recovery attempt
☑️ 125th Falcon 9 mission this year, 411th Falcon 9 mission overall
☑️ 127th SpaceX mission of 2024, 427th mission overall (excluding Starship flights)
☑️ 131st SpaceX launch this year, 443rd SpaceX launch overall (including Starship flights)
Mission info
GPS III (Global Positioning System) is the first evolution of the third generation of GPS satellites. The U.S. Air Force announced in May 2008 that a team led by Lockheed Martin had won the competition to build the next-generation Global Positioning System (Navstar) Space System program, known as GPS III.
This program will improve position, navigation, and timing services for warfighter and civil users worldwide and provide advanced anti-jam capabilities yielding superior system security, accuracy, and reliability.
When fully deployed, the GPS III constellation will feature a cross-linked command and control architecture, allowing the entire GPS constellation to be updated simultaneously from a single ground station. Additionally, a new spot beam capability for enhanced military (M-Code) coverage and increased resistance to hostile jamming will be incorporated. These enhancements will improve accuracy and ensure availability for military and civilian users worldwide.