SpaceX on Monday night launched a secretive rapid response mission for the Space Force, flying a GPS III satellite aboard a Falcon 9 rocket.
The effort, dubbed Rapid Response Trailblazer, was meant to demonstrate the ability to quickly plan and launch a mission in around six months — a process that normally takes around two years.
“The mission successfully demonstrated a complex integration effort across multiple Space Force organizations to pull an existing GPS III satellite from storage, accelerate integration and launch vehicle readiness, and rapidly process for launch,” the Space Force said in a statement.
The launch lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida around 7:52 p.m., and the first-stage booster landed on a drone ship after releasing the GPS payload.
The Space Force has proved through its Tactically Responsive Space program that it can quickly launch small payloads on commercial rockets, but this mission was the first to involve a large National Security Space Launch-class payload.
For Rapid Response Trailblazer, Space Force acquirers at Space Systems Command worked closely with operators at Space Operations Command to prepare and integrate the payload for launch. Walt Lauderdale, mission director for Monday’s launch, said that alignment was key to the successful mission.
“This partnership is an example of new and faster ways we can deliver launch in support of future warfighter needs,” Lauderdale said in a statement. “The Space Force quickly energized multiple organizations, and the joint team delivered a specific, important mission to orbit in record time.”
The GPS III satellite that was launched was built by Lockheed Martin and had been in storage awaiting a ride from United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket, which has faced delays and is not yet certified to fly national security missions. Space News reported that the decision to redirect the satellite to a SpaceX Falcon came earlier this year.
Courtney Albon is C4ISRNET’s space and emerging technology reporter. She has covered the U.S. military since 2012, with a focus on the Air Force and Space Force. She has reported on some of the Defense Department’s most significant acquisition, budget and policy challenges.
