Mission type Navigation
Technology COSPAR ID 1985-093A Spacecraft type GPS Block I Inclination 63.3° Launch mass 759 kg Launch date 9 October 1985 | Operator US Air Force SATCAT no. 16129 Inclination 63.3° Period 12 hours Launch mass 759 kg Manufacturer Rockwell International | |
Mission duration 5 years (planned)
8 ⁄2 years (achieved) | ||
USA-10, also known as Navstar 11, GPS I-11 and GPS SVN-11, was an American navigation satellite launched in 1985 as part of the Global Positioning System development programme. It was the last of eleven Block I GPS satellites to be launched.
USA-10 was launched at 02:53 UTC on 9 October 1985, atop an Atlas E/F carrier rocket with an SGS-2 upper stage. The Atlas used had the serial number 55E, and was originally built as an Atlas E. The launch took place from Space Launch Complex 3W at Vandenberg Air Force Base, and placed USA-10 into a transfer orbit. The satellite raised itself into medium Earth orbit using a Star-27 apogee motor.
By 8 November 1985, USA-10 had been raised to an orbit with a perigee of 19,821 kilometres (12,316 mi), an apogee of 20,542 kilometres (12,764 mi), a period of 717.94 minutes, and 63.3 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 03 signal in the GPS demonstration constellation, and was retired from service on 14 April 1994.