USA-42

USA-42, also known as GPS II-3 and GPS SVN-16, was an American navigation satellite which formed part of the Global Positioning System. It was the third of nine Block II GPS satellites to be launched, which were the first operational GPS satellites to be placed into orbit.

USA-42 was launched at 05:57:59 UTC on 18 August 1989, atop a Delta II carrier rocket, flight number D186, flying in the 6925 configuration. The launch took place from Launch Complex 17A at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and placed USA-42 into a transfer orbit. The satellite raised itself into medium Earth orbit using a Star-37XFP apogee motor.

On 19 September 1989, USA-42 was in an orbit with a perigee of 20113 km, an apogee of 20246 km, a period of 717.86 minutes, and 54.9 degrees of inclination to the equator. The satellite had a mass of 840 kg, and generated 710 watts of power. It had a design life of 7.5 years, and ceased operations on 13 October 2000.