Members of the 2nd and 19th Space Operations Squadrons, also known as Team Blackjack, gathered to support and celebrate the launch of GPS IIF satellite vehicle no. 70, the last of the Block IIF family, Friday, Feb. 5, at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado.
A live video feed of the launch, which took place at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, was streamed on GPS Master Control Station televisions as Team Blackjack monitored and provided support to the launch team.
“What we witnessed today was a team of individuals composed of the 19 SOPS launch team, 2 SOPS operators and the Space and Missile Systems Center, who basically tracked all the telemetry points from the [launch] site as we awaited countdown for actual lift off,” said Maj. Roland Rainey, 2 SOPS director of operations. “Upon liftoff, we saw the satellite break the atmosphere with no anomalies. It was a very smooth, successful flight.”
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