A Boeing Delta II launch vehicle successfully delivered to orbit Nov. 17 a replenishment Block 2R Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite for the U.S. Air Force.

The Delta II has launched all of the GPS 2R satellites. The launch also marked the second GPS mission aboard a Boeing Delta II in less than two months; GPS 2R-15 lifted off from Cape Canaveral on Sept. 25.

GPS 2R-16(M) is the third of the modernized GPS satellites that feature greater accuracy, increased resistance to interference and enhanced performance for military and civilian users. GPS provides 3-D position data in longitude, latitude and elevation as well as precise time and velocity. The satellites orbit the Earth every 12 hours, emitting continuous navigation signals, which are accurate enough that time can be figured to within one millionth of a second, velocity within a fraction of a mile-per-second and location to within 100 feet.