SpaceX launched the GPS III‑SV09 satellite for the U.S. Space Force from Cape Canaveral at 11:53 p.m. EST on Jan. 27 after a one‑day weather delay. Built by Lockheed Martin, the GPS III family uses M‑Code to improve resistance to jamming; SV09 is the ninth of 10 planned satellites. The mission included a rapid 41‑day integration, a successful Falcon 9 first‑stage recovery on the drone ship 'A Shortfall Of Gravitas,' and deployment of the payload to roughly 2,650 miles altitude about 90 minutes after liftoff.
SpaceX Delivers Jam‑Resistant GPS III‑SV09 'Ellison Onizuka' to Orbit for U.S. Space Force
Credit: SpaceX
SpaceX launched an advanced, jam‑resistant GPS satellite for the U.S. Space Force from Cape Canaveral on the night of Jan. 27. A Falcon 9 lifted the GPS III‑SV09 spacecraft at 11:53 p.m. EST (04:53 GMT on Jan. 28) after a one‑day weather delay.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches the GPS III-SV09 satellite for the U.S. Space Force from Florida on Jan. 27, 2026. | Credit: SpaceX
The GPS III series is manufactured by Lockheed Martin and includes M‑Code features designed to make the signals more resistant to jamming than earlier GPS generations, Space Force officials say. GPS III‑SV09 is the ninth of a planned 10 GPS III satellites; the final vehicle in this series is expected to launch later this year.
The upper stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket deploys the GPS III-SV09 satellite for the U.S. Space Force into medium-Earth orbit on Jan. 27, 2026. | Credit: SpaceX
Launch Swap and Rapid Integration
GPS III‑SV09 had originally been assigned to fly on United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur, but the U.S. Space Force revised the manifest. In an emailed statement, U.S. Space Force Col. Ryan Hiserote, SYD 80 Commander and National Security Space Launch program manager, said the service "traded a GPS III mission from a Vulcan to a Falcon 9, then exchanged a later GPS IIIF mission from a Falcon Heavy to a Vulcan," highlighting the program's flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances.
Official NASA portrait of astronaut Ellison Onizuka (1946-1986). | Credit: NASA
SpaceX said this mission represented its fastest turnaround on a national security payload: the satellite was integrated with the Falcon 9 and launched in just 41 days.
Recovery and Deployment
The Falcon 9 first stage used on this flight completed its fifth mission and returned to land vertically about 8.5 minutes after liftoff on the SpaceX drone ship 'A Shortfall Of Gravitas' in the Atlantic Ocean. The Falcon 9 upper stage released GPS III‑SV09—named 'Ellison Onizuka' in honor of the late U.S. Air Force Col. and Challenger astronaut—into a high orbit roughly 2,650 miles (4,265 kilometers) above Earth about 90 minutes after liftoff.
Honoring Astronauts
The Space Force has named other GPS III satellites after notable astronauts: GPS III‑SV05 honors Apollo 11 moonwalker Neil Armstrong, and GPS III‑SV07 carries the name Sally Ride, the first American woman in space.
Editor's note: This story was updated with a revised target date and later with confirmation of the launch, rocket landing and payload deployment.
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