SpaceX launches US Space Force ‘quick response’ GPS mission

WASHINGTON — In a mission shrouded in secrecy, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off on Dec. 16 at 7:52 p.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, sending a military Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite into an intermediate-range orbit about 12,000 miles above Earth.

This mission, named Rapid Response Trailblazer-1 (RRT-1), was a US national security space launch and was also intended to demonstrate military capabilities to condense a typical two-year mission planning cycle to less than six months.

RRT-1 was originally scheduled to lift off on December 13, but the launch was scrubbed due to high winds. This was SpaceX’s 126th launch in 2024.

About eight minutes after launch, the Falcon 9 first-stage booster returned and landed on a drone ship. SpaceX ended the live stream after the booster landing.

Switch from Vulcan to Falcon 9

The payload, GPS III SV-07, is the seventh satellite in the GPS III constellation, built by Lockheed Martin. The satellite had previously been scheduled for a late 2025 launch aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan rocket, but was reassigned to a SpaceX Falcon 9 this summer.

“We decided to pull SV-07 out of storage and try to get it to the launch pad as quickly as possible,” Col. James Horne, senior materiel manager for launch execution at the US Space Force’s Space Systems Command, told SpaceNews. “It’s our way of showing that we can be responsive to operator needs with NSSL-class missions.”

NSSL is the National Security Space Launch program that launches high-value military and intelligence satellites.

In a departure from most other NSSL missions, Space Force and SpaceX kept a low profile around launch preparations, with SpaceX first announcing the RRT-1 launch on December 13 without disclosing its status as a GPS and national security space mission.

The decision to accelerate the launch of SV-07 was made in mid-2024, as uncertainty surrounding the Vulcan rocket’s readiness caused Space Force leaders to reassess their options. Horne emphasized that this move was less about Vulcan delays and more about testing the limits of the NSSL program’s flexibility. “This is a way for us to demonstrate to adversaries that we can be responsive,” he said.

ULA’s Vulcan rocket is still awaiting official certification to launch NSSL missions. The vehicle was initially assigned three GPS III launches—SV-07, SV-08, and SV-09—and SpaceX was given SV-10.

Horne said the satellites have been remanifested. Because SV-07 was reassigned to SpaceX, ULA will be launching SV-10.

Walt Lauderdale, chief of Falcon systems and operations at the Space Systems Command, said SpaceX’s familiarity with the GPS III program was instrumental in accomplishing this mission on a short timeline. The company had previously launched five GPS III satellites.

“Our typical launch campaign is a 24-month cycle,” Lauderdale said.

Horne emphasized that the goal of the RRT-1 mission was far more than just launching a GPS. It’s also about Space Force learning how to be more adaptive. “That’s why we call it a breakthrough mission,” he said. “We’re trying to send a message to an adversary that if one GPS asset was targeted, the United States would be able to get another up quickly.”

The Space Force has previously launched “tactically responsive” space missions using small satellites and small launch vehicles. The RRT-1 mission aimed to prove that the rapid deployment approach can be applied to larger, more complex national security payloads such as GPS.

Col. Andrew Menschner, commander of the Space Force’s Mission Delta 31, highlighted another critical goal of RRT-1: testing the ability to respond quickly to an unexpected technical failure in the GPS constellation. While the current 31 active satellites are in good health, many are older than the military service members who manage them daily.

Mission Delta 31, based in Colorado, operates the GPS constellation.

“We are absolutely interested in any opportunity to update the constellation,” Menschner said. “Deploying a new satellite helps add resiliency to the system.”

Being able to accomplish a GPS launch as quickly as was done with SV-07, he said, “is great news for the world that depends on GPS every day.”

The SV-07 had been sitting in a Lockheed Martin warehouse in Colorado since it was declared ready for launch in August 2021.

In preparation for RRT-1, Mission Delta 31 and Lockheed Martin worked to modify the SV-07’s payload interface so that it could launch on a Falcon 9 instead of a Vulcan rocket. This interface, called the payload launch adapter, connects the spacecraft to the rocket.

Once complete, the satellite was transported on a flatbed truck from Lockheed Martin’s location in Colorado to SpaceX’s integration facility at Cape Canaveral. Normally, military aircraft would handle such transfers, but Hurricane Helene recovery the effort had tied up these resources.

“That was probably one of the biggest hurdles,” said Malik Musawwir, vice president of navigation systems at Lockheed Martin Space. “And then from there it was off to the races.”

The satellite’s journey from Littleton, Colorado, to Cape Canaveral posed unique logistical challenges, Musawwir said. Since C-17 military cargo planes were not available, planners conducted a ground survey to find the best route to transport the satellite over highways. The multi-day drive required specialized equipment, including a climate-controlled container to protect the satellite from temperature and humidity changes, and shock absorbers to minimize vibration.

“Our team worked tirelessly to ensure the safety of the satellite during transit,” Musawwir said. The container with SV-07 rode on a truck in a caravan with a military escort and a backup vehicle in case of problems.

Related