"The shipment of this pathfinder satellite keeps GPS IIF on track for its first launch...," said Craig Cooning, vice president and general manager of Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems.

The satellite arrived at Cape Canaveral on May 7, two days before the GAO's testimony. An Air Force spokeswoman today said the first Boeing satellite in the GPS IIF series is due to launch in early 2010, but a Boeing spokesman said it was set for later in 2009.

Separately, the Air Force spokeswoman said a Lockheed Martin satellite, known as GPS IIR 21 (M), which is designed to maintain the GPS system, is scheduled to launch Aug. 17.

The satellite that Boeing shipped is the second of 12 satellites called GPS IIF satellites, Boeing said. It will undergo ground tests that are part of the preparation for the first launch, and then will be returned to El Segundo, Calif., for further preparation for its own launch at a later date.

GPS IIF satellites follow Boeing's development of 39 satellites deployed for the first generation system. They will have twice the navigational accuracy of existing satellites, more robust signals for aviation and search and rescue efforts, and greater resistance to radio jamming by hostile sources, Boeing said.