The rocket lit up the sky at 2:41 a.m. EDT (0641 GMT) Saturday after two consecutive days of delays for technical and weather issues.

The United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket will place a navigation satellite into the Global Positioning System constellation for the Air Force.

The GPS 2F satellites provide enhanced military signals that have greater accuracy and are more resistant to signal jamming. They also have some civilian applications and a longer life expectancy than the previous generation of satellites.