USA-256

USA-256
	A Block IIF GPS satellite
Mission type	Navigation
Operator	US Air Force
COSPAR ID	2014-045A
SATCAT no.	40105
Mission duration	12 years (planned)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	GPS SVN-68 (IIF-7)
Spacecraft type	GPS Block IIF
Manufacturer	Boeing
Launch mass	1,630 kilograms (3,590 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	2 August 2014, 03:23 UTC
Rocket	Atlas V 401, AV-048
Launch site	Cape Canaveral SLC-41
Contractor	ULA
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Medium Earth; (Semi-synchronous)
Perigee altitude	20,341 km (12,639 mi)
Apogee altitude	20,469 km (12,719 mi)
Inclination	55.02 degrees
Period	727.05 minutes
Epoch	2 August 2014

USA-256, also known as GPS IIF-7, GPS SVN-68 and NAVSTAR 71, is an American navigation satellite which forms part of the Global Positioning System. It was the seventh of twelve Block IIF satellites to be launched.^[2]

Launch[]

Built by Boeing and launched by United Launch Alliance, USA-256 was launched at 03:23 UTC on 2 August 2014, atop an Atlas V 401 carrier rocket, vehicle number AV-048.^[3] The launch took place from Space Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station,^[5] and placed USA-256 directly into medium Earth orbit.^[4]

Orbit[]

As of 3 August 2014, USA-256 was in an orbit with a perigee of 20,341 kilometers (12,639 mi), an apogee of 20,469 kilometers (12,719 mi), a period of 727.05 minutes, and 55.02 degrees of inclination to the equator.^[4] It is used to broadcast the PRN 09 signal, and operates in slot 6 of plane F of the GPS constellation. The satellite has a design life of 12 years and a mass of 1,630 kilograms (3,590 lb). ^[2] It is currently in service following commissioning on September 17, 2014.^[6]

References[]

^ ^a ^b "Navstar 71". US National Space Science Data Center. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
^ ^a ^b ^c Krebs, Gunter. "GPS-2F (Navstar-2F)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
^ ^a ^b ^c McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch List". Launch Vehicle Database. Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
^ "NOTICE ADVISORY TO NAVSTAR USERS (NANU) 2014071". United States Coast Guard. Retrieved 18 September 2014.

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[NSSDC-1] "Navstar 71". US National Space Science Data Center. Retrieved 3 August 2014.

[GSP-2] Krebs, Gunter. "GPS-2F (Navstar-2F)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 3 August 2014.

[LL-3] McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 3 August 2014.

[satcat-4] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 3 August 2014.

[lvdb-5] McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch List". Launch Vehicle Database. Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 3 August 2014.

[6] "NOTICE ADVISORY TO NAVSTAR USERS (NANU) 2014071". United States Coast Guard. Retrieved 18 September 2014.

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v t NAVSTAR Global Positioning System satellites
List of GPS satellites
Block I	1 2 3 4 5 6 7† 8 9 10 11
Block II	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Block IIA	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
Block IIR	1† 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Block IIRM	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Block IIF	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Block III	01 02 03 04
Block IIIF
Italics indicate future missions. Signs † indicate launch failures.

v t ← 2013 · Orbital launches in 2014 · 2015 →
January	GSAT-14 – Thaicom 6 – CRS Orb-1 (Flock-1 × 28 · · Lituanica SAT-1 · LitSat-1 · SkyCube · UAPSat-1) – TDRS-L
February	Progress M-22M – ABS-2 · Athena-Fidus – Türksat 4A – USA-248 – GPM Core · Ginrei · KSAT-2 · INVADER · OPUSAT · STARS-II · TeikyoSat-3 · ITF-1
March	Ekspress AT1 · Ekspress AT2 – Astra 5B · Amazonas 4A – Kosmos 2494 – Soyuz TMA-12M –
April	– Sentinel-1A – IRNSS-1B – Progress M-23M – Ofek-10 – – EgyptSat 2 – SpaceX CRS-3 · KickSat · PhoneSat 2.5 · · · – Luch 5V · KazSat-3 –
May	– Ekspress AM4R – USA-251 – – · · · Kosmos 2499 – ALOS-2 · Raijin-2 · UNIFORM-1 · SOCRATES · – Eutelsat 3B – Soyuz TMA-13M
June	Kosmos 2500 – Deimos-2 · KazEOSat 2 · Hodoyoshi 3 · Hodoyoshi 4 · AprizeSat 9, 10 · BRITE-Montreal · BRITE-Toronto · BugSat 1 · SaudiSat-4 · TabletSat-Aurora · UniSat-6 ( · · Lemur-1 · Tigrisat) · · · · · Perseus-M × 2 · · · · · Flock-1c × 11 – SPOT 7 · CanX-4 · CanX-5 · ·
July	OCO-2 – Gonets-M No. 8, 9, 10 – Meteor-M 2 · · · · · · – O3b × 4 (FM3, FM6, FM7, FM8) – CRS Orb-2 (Flock-1b × 28 · TechEdSat-4) – Orbcomm-2 × 6 – Foton-M No.4 – Progress M-24M – · · USA-255 – Georges Lemaître ATV
August	USA-256 – AsiaSat 8 – A, B, C – WorldView-3 – · Heweliusz – Galileo FOC-1 · Galileo FOC-2
September	· – AsiaSat 6 – · – · Optus 10 – – SpaceX CRS-4 – Soyuz TMA-14M – Olimp-K –
October	Himawari 8 – IRNSS-1C – Intelsat 30 · ARSAT-1 – – Ekspress AM6 – Chang'e 5-T1 · 4M – – Cygnus CRS Orb-3 (Arkyd-3 · Flock-1d × 26 · · ) – Progress M-25M – USA-258 –
November	· Hodoyoshi 1 · · · TSUBAME – – – – Soyuz TMA-15M – Kosmos 2501
December	Hayabusa2 · PROCYON · · – Orion EFT-1 – DirecTV-14 · GSAT-16 – CBERS-4 – A, B, C – – Yamal-401 – O3b × 4 (FM9 to FM12) – Kondor-E No.2 – – – Resurs-P No.2 – – Astra 2G – Fengyun 2-08
Launches are separated by dashes ( – ), payloads by dots ( · ). Crewed flights are underlined. Launch failures are in italics. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are (enclosed in brackets).