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.