A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan rocket with four solid rocket boosters launched the USSF-106 mission for the United States Space Force’s Space Systems Command (SSC) on 12 August 2025 at 8:56 p.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. This mission marks the first National Security Space Launch aboard the next-generation Vulcan rocket. The Centaur V second stage delivered the USSF-106 spacecraft directly to the Geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO).

The USSF-106 payloads feature demonstrations and experiments from Department of Defense customers, including the Navigation Technology Satellite-3 (NTS-3). The Air Force Research Laboratory's NTS-3 is the military's first experimental navigation satellite system in nearly 50 years.

Designed, developed, and integrated by L3Harris Technologies, NTS-3 will provide an on-orbit demonstration of new technologies and techniques, preparing the way for a new generation of GPS receivers being more robust, resilient and responsive architecture for satellite navigation technology.