GPS-3 SV03 (Navstar xx, USA 304, Columbus)

Launch data:

Spacecraft data:

Mission details:

• The third of the third generation GPS satellites was launched on Jun 30, 2020. A SpaceX Falcon 9 took off from Cape Canaveral at 2010 UTC with the first stage landing on the droneship Just Read The Instructions at 2019 UTC. The second stage reached a 168 x 434 km parking orbit at 2018 UTC. A second burn of the second stage boosted the payload to a 402 x 20197 km x 55 deg deployment orbit at 2115 UTC; the 4311 kg GPS satellite separated from the stage at 2140 UTC and the stage fired for a third time a few minutes later to lower its perigee into the atmosphere; it reentered south of S Africa at about 0230 UTC Jul 1.
• As of Jul 9 no TLEs had been released for the payload since Jul 1, so it cannot yet be confirmed whether the apogee burn was successful.

External links:

• Satellite tracking (n2ya.com): Real time satellite tracking