USA-87

USA-87, also known as GPS IIA-8, GPS II-17 and GPS SVN-29, was an American navigation satellite which formed part of the Global Positioning System. It was the eighth of nineteen Block IIA GPS satellites to be launched.

USA-87 was launched at 22:16:00 UTC on 18 December 1992, atop a Delta II carrier rocket, flight number D217, flying in the 7925-9.5 configuration. The launch took place from Launch Complex 17B at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and placed USA-87 into a transfer orbit. The satellite raised itself into medium Earth orbit using a Star-37XFP apogee motor.

On 25 January 1993, USA-87 was in an orbit with a perigee of 20037 km, an apogee of 20326 km, a period of 717.94 minutes, and 54.7 degrees of inclination to the equator. It had PRN 29, and operated in slot 5 of plane F of the GPS constellation. The satellite had a mass of 1816 kg. It had a design life of 7.5 years, and ceased operations on 23 October 2007.