The Boeing Delta II 7925-9.5 configuration vehicle used for today's mission featured a Boeing first stage booster powered by a Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RS-27A main engine and nine Alliant Techsystems (ATK) solid rocket boosters. An Aerojet AJ10-118K engine powered the storable propellant restartable second stage. A Thiokol Star-48B solid rocket motor propelled the third stage prior to spacecraft deployment. The rocket also flew with a nine-and-a-half-foot diameter Boeing payload fairing A redundant inertial flight control assembly built by L3 Communications Space & Navigation provided guidance and control for the rocket, enabling a precise deployment of the satellite. GPS IIR-16 (M) is the third of the modernized GPS satellites that feature greater accuracy, increased resistance to interference and enhanced performance for users.
The Air Force successfully launched a Delta II booster from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Nov. 17. The joint government and industry launch was carrying the NAVSTAR Global Positioning System satellite. This launch was led by the 45th Space Wing. The satellite launched is the third of the modernized GPS satellites that incorporates various improvements that will provide greater accuracy, increased resistance to interference and enhanced performance for users.
The GPS 2R-16 satellite will enter the Plane B, Slot 4 location of the GPS constellation and replace the GPS 2A-22 satellite that was launched in August 1993. The military satellite will provide jam-resistant signals for GPS-guided weapons and offer better navigation accuracy for civilian device usages.