# Tenth and final GPS III satellite launches on Falcon 9 after Vulcan grounding

Canonical page: https://technooptimist.io/stories/tenth-and-final-gps-iii-satellite-launches-on-falcon-9-after-vulcan-615fb5cd
Date: Apr 2026
About: [US Space Force](https://technooptimist.io/companies/us-space-force.md) · [GPS IIIF](https://technooptimist.io/spaceflight/gps-iiif.md)
Original source: https://interestingengineering.com/space/us-space-force-gps-modernization-chapter

GPS III SV10, nicknamed Hedy Lamarr, launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 after a one-day weather delay, completing the GPS III series. It had been moved off United Launch Alliance's Vulcan within weeks after a solid rocket motor anomaly halted national security missions on that rocket. The next block, GPS IIIF, offers more than 60 times the anti-jam capability of legacy satellites.

## Key facts

- GPS III satellites are about three times more accurate and up to eight times more jam-resistant than earlier ones.
- At the time, the first GPS IIIF launch was reported for May 2027.
- Congress first approved GPS III in 2000.

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