Space Force Shifts to Private Sector for Rapid GPS Capability Delivery

The Space Force has announced that SpaceX will provide the upcoming launch of GPS III SV-10, shifting away from United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Vulcan-Centaur rocket due to persistent problems with its solid rocket boosters. This change is part of the service’s efforts to deliver advanced GPS capability rapidly while investigating the Vulcan anomaly. The final satellite in the Global Position System (GPS) III series will lift off on a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral, Fla., no later than the end of April. Meanwhile, ULA’s Vulcan is still slated for the USSF-70 mission in summer 2028, carrying Northrop Grumman’s ROOSTER-5 refueling station.