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The U.S. Air Force Second Space Operations Squadron (2 SOPS) has issued a statement that the first GPS III satellite is available for backup. While occupying the same plane as SV-68, the new satellite is broadcasting healthy, usable signals and is an active part of the constellation in the vicinity of slot F3 near SV-68.
On. Jan. 13, 2 SOPS issued an Initial Use (USABINIT) NANU for SVN-74, the first of the new generation of GPS-III satellites, according to Rick Hamilton, CGSIC executive secretariat.
SVN-74/PRN-04 was launched on Dec. 23, 2018. Now, having successfully undergone rigorous operational testing on orbit, the satellite has taken its place, backing up SVN-68/PRN-9 at F3 in the active GPS constellation.
NOTICE ADVISORY TO NAVSTAR USERS (NANU) 2020004
SUBJ: SVN74 (PRN04) USABLE JDAY 013/1734
NANU TYPE: USABINIT
NANU NUMBER: 2020004
NANU DTG: 131735Z JAN 2020
REFERENCE NANU: N/A
REF NANU DTG: N/A
SVN: 74
PRN: 04
START JDAY: 013
START TIME ZULU: 1734
START CALENDAR DATE: 13 JAN 2020
STOP JDAY: N/A
STOP TIME ZULU: N/A
STOP CALENDAR DATE: N/A
CONDITION: GPS SATELLITE SVN74 (PRN04) WAS USABLE AS OF JDAY 013
(13 JAN 2020) BEGINNING 1734 ZULU.
POC: CIVILIAN – NAVCEN AT 703-313-5900, HTTPS://WWW.NAVCEN.USCG.GOV
MILITARY – GPS OPERATIONS CENTER at HTTPS://GPS.AFSPC.AF.MIL/GPSOC, DSN 560-2541,
COMM 719-567-2541, gpsoperationscenter@us.af.mil, HTTPS://GPS.AFSPC.AF.MIL
MILITARY ALTERNATE – JOINT SPACE OPERATIONS CENTER, DSN 276-3514,
COMM 805-606-3514, JSPOCCOMBATOPS@VANDENBERG.AF.MIL
Joel Warburg
The GPS constellation was designed for 24 satellites, 6 orbits with 4 satellites in each orbit. Presently 32 satellites are in the constellation with more than 4 satellites in each orbit. Backup indicates that the new satellite SVN 74 is near one of the 24 original 24 slots, but it is fully operational and healthy.