Waterside view of Delta 4 GPS 2F-6 Launch

The United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket, standing 206 feet tall and and weighing 720,000 pounds, unleashes 1.1 million pounds of thrust from its main engine and two side-mounted boosters at 12:52 a.m. EDT (0452 today to launch the GSSAP No. 3 and No. 4 satellites for the Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program from Cape Canaveral.

This mission follows a similar model of processing used during the Rapid Response Trailblazer (RRT-1) mission, which saw the launch of the GPS 3 Space Vehicle 07 (SV-07) spacecraft on a Falcon 9 instead of a United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket as originally planned.

The Air Force will launch a second pair of small security probes 22,300 miles above the Earth using a Delta 4 rocket on Friday to alert ground controllers of impending space collisions and monitor potential meddling with U.S. orbiting assets.