USA-203

USA-203, also known as GPS IIR-20(M), GPS IIRM-7 and GPS SVN-49, is an American <a href="/facts/Navigation_satellite/lVgPlF5v">navigation satellite</a> which was intended to become part of the <a href="/facts/Global_Positioning_System/DKVLnzF3">Global Positioning System</a>. It was the sixth of seven <a href="/facts/GPS_Block_IIRM/d4R6InYK">Block IIRM</a> satellites to be launched, and the twentieth of twenty one <a href="/facts/GPS_Block_IIR/d4R6InYK">Block IIR</a> satellites overall. It was built by <a href="/facts/Lockheed_Martin/URp9BQpA">Lockheed Martin</a>, using the AS-4000 <a href="/facts/Satellite_bus/UMlFYAUY">satellite bus</a>, and had a mass of 2,032 kilograms (4,480 lb).
USA-203 was launched at 08:34 UTC on 24 March 2009, atop a <a href="/facts/Delta_II/GoBa3Qch">Delta II</a> carrier rocket, flight number D340, flying in the 7925-9.5 configuration. The launch took place from <a href="/facts/Cape_Canaveral_Air_Force_Station_Space_Launch_Complex_17/7Cl4P58d">Space Launch Complex 17A</a> at the <a href="/facts/Cape_Canaveral_Air_Force_Station/dwJ9MCPH">Cape Canaveral Air Force Station</a>, and placed USA-203 into a transfer orbit. The satellite raised itself into <a href="/facts/Medium_Earth_orbit/7Qmz5XxG">medium Earth orbit</a> using a <a href="/facts/Star-37FM/4gsDHQ2p">Star-37FM</a> <a href="/facts/Apogee_motor/Tf9SgQFP">apogee motor</a>.
USA-203 is located in an orbit with a <a href="/facts/Apsis/VaL6ow9w">perigee</a> of 20,045 kilometers (12,455 mi), an <a href="/facts/Apsis/VaL6ow9w">apogee</a> of 20,335 kilometers (12,636 mi), a <a href="/facts/Orbital_period/94f56uh2">period</a> of 718 minutes, and 55.8 degrees of <a href="/facts/Inclination/TQCFWyfd">inclination</a> to the equator. It was intended to operate in slot 2 of plane B of the GPS constellation, replacing <a href="/facts/USA-128/GFFqneKr">USA-128</a>, and to broadcast signal PRN-01. During on-orbit testing an anomaly was discovered with the signals it was broadcasting, which prevented its operational use. It was decommissioned on 6 May 2011, two years into its ten-year design life.
In addition to its operational navigation signals, USA-203 was also equipped to broadcast a demonstration of the <a href="/facts/GPS_signals/hh5vT4YF">L5 signal</a> which would be introduced with the <a href="/facts/GPS_Block_IIF/Ulb107AA">GPS Block IIF</a> series. The satellite was able to broadcast this signal correctly, but it was discovered that a filter used to produce the L5 signal was causing the disruption to its other frequencies.

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USA-203