SpaceX launched the U.S. Air Force's newest 'GPS III' satellite on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, USA. The solar-powered spacecraft, dubbed "Vespucci," is the company's first official "National Security Space" mission. Vespucci's nickname honours Italian cartographer and explorer Amerigo Vespucci, after whom North and South America were named. It was competed through the Air Force's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program. The successful GPS III SV01 mission marked SpaceX's 21st and final launch of 2018, beating the company's 2017 flight rate of 18 launches.
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