Mission type Navigation COSPAR ID 1989-097A Mission duration 7.5 years (planned) Inclination 54.9° Period 12 hours Launch mass 840 kg Rocket Delta II | Operator US Air Force SATCAT no. 20361 Spacecraft type GPS Block II Inclination 54.9° Launch mass 840 kg Launch date 11 December 1989 | |
USA-49, also known as GPS II-5 and GPS SVN-17, was an American navigation satellite which formed part of the Global Positioning System. It was the fifth of nine Block II GPS satellites to be launched, which were the first operational GPS satellites to fly.
USA-49 was launched at 18:10:01 UTC on 11 December 1989, atop a Delta II carrier rocket, flight number D190, flying in the 6925 configuration. The launch took place from Launch Complex 17B at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and placed USA-49 into a transfer orbit. The satellite raised itself into medium Earth orbit using a Star-37XFP apogee motor.
On 11 January 1990, USA-49 was in an orbit with a perigee of 20,009 kilometres (12,433 mi), an apogee of 20,357 kilometres (12,649 mi), a period of 718 minutes, and 54.9 degrees of inclination to the equator. It operated in slot 3 of plane D 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 23 February 2005.