A Boeing [NYSE: BA] Delta II rocket has successfully deployed a Global Positioning System (GPS) IIR-10 satellite for the U.S. Air Force.

Liftoff of the Delta II occurred at 3:05 a.m. EST from Space Launch Complex 17A, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The deployment sequence was completed in 68 minutes at 4:13 a.m. EST.

The GPS satellite, which will orbit nearly 11,000 miles above the Earth, was launched aboard a Delta II 7925-9.5 vehicle.

“Our Delta team has done an outstanding job in supporting the customer, by providing absolute mission assurance,” said Dan Collins, vice president and general manager, Delta Programs, for Boeing. “This successful 302nd Delta launch reaffirms our pride in being a part of the GPS program, which is so vital to our nation’s national security.”

Operated by U.S. Air Force Space Command, the GPS constellation provides precise navigation and timing to worldwide military and civilian users 24-hours a day and in all weather conditions. For the warfighter, GPS has enabled the development and use of cost-effective precision guided munitions, and is considered a major component of DoD’s transformational plans.

The next Delta mission will carry the NASA Aura Earth Observing System spacecraft. The launch is scheduled for March 2004 aboard a Delta II from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

Boeing Launch Services Inc., based in Huntington Beach, Calif., is responsible for the marketing and sales of the Sea Launch and Delta family of launch vehicles to Boeing national security, civil space and commercial customers.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world’s largest space and defense businesses. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $25 billion business. It provides systems solutions to its global military, government, and commercial customers. It is a leading provider of intelligence surveillance, and reconnaissance; the world’s largest military aircraft manufacturer; the world’s largest satellite manufacturer and a leading provider of
space-based communications; the primary systems integrator for U.S. missile defense; NASA’s largest contractor; and a global leader in launch services.