Falcon 9 • GPS III-9

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the Global Positioning System (GPS) III Space Vehicle 09 (SV09) satellite into medium Earth orbit. This was the penultimate launch of a GPS III satellite before the U.S. Space Force shifts to launching the next generation GPS III Follow-on (GPS IIIF) satellites. A little more than eight minutes after liftoff, the first stage booster, tail number 1096, launching for a fifth time, landed on the drone ship, ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas.’ Delayed from Jan. 25/26. Delayed from Jan. 26/27.