On Nov. 17, a Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR) RS-27A rocket engine propelled the latest version of the Air Force's global positioning system satellite into space, aboard a Delta II rocket.

The RS-27A has proven to be a highly reliable booster engine, producing 200,000 pounds of thrust during its more than four-minute burn to space. In the flight last week the engine positioned the Boeing Delta II first stage for release of the second stage and payload.

For more than three decades the RS-27 family has been one of the most trusted propulsion systems in the industry. To date, the engines have scored a 100% success record, with 211 launches, so far.

"We're very proud of that record," said Elizabeth Jones, RS-27A program manager. "And as a result, our customers have learned they can count on the RS-27A to do the job precisely as required."

The NAVSTAR GPS Block IIR-16 is the third member of a new generation of GPS satellites that will replace aging GPS spacecraft that have been in service for more than 10 years. In service since the 1970s, the GPS satellite network is operated by the U.S. Air Force to provide accurate navigation information to military forces around the world as well as to a growing number of commercial concerns.