Mission type NavigationTechnology COSPAR ID 1978-093A Manufacturer Rockwell International | Operator US Air Force SATCAT no. 11054 Launch date 7 October 1978 | |
Mission duration 5 years (planned) 13 ⁄2 years (achieved) | ||
OPS 5113, also known as Navstar 3, GPS I-3 and GPS SVN-3, was an American navigation satellite launched in 1978 as part of the Global Positioning System development programme. It was the third of eleven Block I GPS satellites to be launched.
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Launch
OPS 5113 was launched at 00:28 UTC on 7 October 1978, atop an Atlas E/F carrier rocket with an SGS-1 upper stage. The Atlas used had the serial number 47F, and was originally built as an Atlas F. The launch took place from Space Launch Complex 3E at Vandenberg Air Force Base, and placed OPS 5113 into a transfer orbit. The satellite raised itself into medium Earth orbit using a Star-27 apogee motor.
Orbit
By 8 November 1978, OPS 5113 was in an orbit with a perigee of 20,181 kilometres (12,540 mi), an apogee of 20,186 kilometres (12,543 mi), a period of 718.02 minutes, and 62.8 degrees of inclination to the equator. The satellite had a design life of 5 years and a mass of 758 kilograms (1,671 lb). It broadcast the PRN 06 signal in the GPS demonstration constellation, and was retired from service on 18 May 1992.