39166 - GPS BIIF-4 (PRN 27)

USA-242, also known as GPS IIF-4, GPS IIF SV-5 and Vega,] is an American navigation satellite which was launched in May 2013. The fourth Block IIF GPS satellite, it will form part of the Global Positioning System. USA-242 is a 1,630-kilogram (3,600 lb) spacecraft, built by Boeing with a design life of 15 years. It operates from a semi-synchronous medium Earth orbit, at an altitude of 20,459 km (12,713 mi) an an inclination of 55 degrees, in slot 2 of plane C of the GPS constellation. The new satellite replaces the seventeen-year-old USA-117 satellite, which will be kept operational as a backup satellite. USA-242 broadcasts its navigation signals using the PRN-27 signal modulation.

Alternate Names

USA 242
GPS IIF-04
Navstar 68

Facts in Brief

Launch Date: 2013-05-15
Launch Vehicle: Atlas V 401
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral, United States