Mission type Navigation COSPAR ID 1989-044A Mission duration 7.5 years (planned) Launch date 10 June 1989 Reference system Geocentric orbit | Operator US Air Force SATCAT no. 20061 Spacecraft type GPS Block II Manufacturer Rockwell International | |
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USA-38, also known as GPS II-2 and GPS SVN-13, was an American navigation satellite which formed part of the Global Positioning System. It was the second of nine Block II GPS satellites to be launched, which were the first operational GPS satellites to be launched.
USA-38 was launched at 22:19 UTC on 10 June 1989, atop a Delta II carrier rocket, flight number D185, flying in the 6925 configuration. The launch took place from Launch Complex 17A at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and placed USA-38 into a transfer orbit. The satellite raised itself into medium Earth orbit using a Star-37XFP apogee motor.
On 11 July 1989, USA-38 was in an orbit with a perigee of 19,967 kilometres (12,407 mi), an apogee of 20,395 kilometres (12,673 mi), a period of 717.92 minutes, and 54.5 degrees of inclination to the equator. It operated in slot 3 of plane B of the GPS constellation. The satellite had a mass of 840 kilograms (1,850 lb), and generated 710 watts of power. It had a design life of 7.5 years, and ceased operations on 12 May 2004.