GPS 2F-9 launch
A United Launch Delta 4 rocket lofts the GPS-2F9 satellite from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on March 25, 2015. Credit: ULA video capture

WASHINGTON — A U.S. Air Force GPS positioning, navigation and timing satellite launched in March is now in service.

The GPS 2F-9 satellite, launched March 25 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, on a United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket, is now part of the operational constellation of GPS navigation satellites.

The satellite is the ninth of 12 Block 2F satellites that Boeing Defense, Space and Security has built for the U.S. Air Force, with the final three slated for launch by early 2016.

Jeff Foust writes about space policy, commercial space, and related topics for SpaceNews. He earned a Ph.D. in planetary sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree with honors in geophysics and planetary science...