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The United States military is today launching its first in a constellation of next-generation surveillance satellites - GEO-1.

Today between 1614 - 1654 GMT, the US military will launch their first Space-Based Infrared System Geosynchronous satellite, or SBIRS GEO-1, which will significantly improve the country's missile-warning detection and missile-defence capabilities, and it will also provide enhanced technical intelligence to fighters on the ground. The $1.3 billion GEO-1 will launch on an Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

GEO-1 will be positioned about 22,000 miles (35,406 kilometers) above Earth, sitting in a geosynchronous orbit (hence the satellite's name). It will peer at the land below using two sensors, a "scanner" and a "starer." The scanner will cover a wide swath, looking for missile and rocket launches, while the starer will concentrate on smaller "areas of interest," officials said.

"Once launched and fielded, GEO-1 will bring the dawn of a new era in persistent overhead surveillance," Brigadier General-select Roger Teague, head of the Infrared Space Systems directorate at Los Angeles Air Force Base's Space and Missile Systems Center, told reporters last Tuesday (April 26).

Spaceflight Now is covering the launch with a live video feed and text updates from Cape Canaveral, so you can follow the launch directly. Visit their website for more information.