SpaceX launches final GPS III satellite for the Space Force

A Falcon 9 launched GPS III SV10 from Cape Canaveral at 2:53 a.m. EDT, completing the 10-satellite GPS III production block for the U.S. Space Force.

SV10 adds another M-code-capable navigation satellite and carries demonstrations including optical crosslinks, a new atomic clock, a laser retroreflector, and a 3D-printed antenna for future GPS IIIF upgrades.

Space Systems Command says the mission was shifted and executed on a compressed timeline, using launch-provider flexibility to keep a national-security payload moving despite manifest changes.

The payload closes the GPS III block but does not end GPS modernization. The follow-on GPS IIIF line now has to absorb lessons from SV10's demonstrations while the ground segment adapts after the OCX cancellation.