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Liftoff: SpaceX GPS III SV04

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MaryLiz Bender
Cosmic Perspective Co-Founder, Creative Director

Mission Success

After a series of delays, SpaceX successfully launched the GPS III Space Vehicle 04 (SV04) mission for the US Space Force on November 5, 2020. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex-40 (SLC-40) at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, successfully sending a next-generation GPS satellite to orbit before re-landing its booster on an autonomous droneship in the Atlantic Ocean.

As usual, we were poised just a couple of miles away from the launchpad, capturing the moment of liftoff with a telescope and cinema cameras and we sent our feeds to Tim Dodd, The Everyday Astronaut’s live stream. 

Relive the moment of liftoff at 30:11

Next-Generation GPS

GPS (Global Positioning System) is a global navigation satellite system, operated by the United States Space Force, that provides worldwide coverage for geolocation and time. An hour and a half after liftoff, the GPS III SV04 satellite deployed, joining the existing GPS fleet in Medium-Earth orbit. There are now 32 active GPS satellites, with an additional 24 planned to fill out the constellation fleet.

Currently, the GPS constellation provides extremely accurate readings to the civilian population, and increased accuracy for military operations. The new-generation Block III GPS satellites, the third major iteration of GPS satellites, were developed to further improve the accuracy for both civilian and military operations. The SV04 satellite launching on this mission is the fourth satellite of the Block III fleet.

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A Brand New, Reusable Rocket

The GPS III SV04 launch marks the first flight of this particular Falcon 9 booster, designated B1062.1. About 8 minutes after liftoff, just following stage separation, the Falcon 9 conducted 3 burns, allowing it to land perfectly on the Just Read The Instructions drone ship, stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

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