GPS 2F-3 satellite readied to launch

About three weeks before before its scheduled launch, the U.S. Air Force's Global Positioning System 2F-3 navigation satellite was encapsulated in the Delta 4 rocket's two-piece nose cone at Cape Canaveral's DSCS Processing Facility, then transported to Complex 37 a week later for hoisting into the mobile service gantry and placement atop the United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket.

The bullet-shaped shroud protects the satellite during ascent through Earth's atmosphere during the first four-and-a-half minutes of flight and then gets jettisoned to uncover the craft after the threshold the space is reached.

See our Mission Status Center for the latest news on the launch.

Photo credit: United Launch Alliance