NAVSTAR 65 (USA 213)

About This Satellite

NAVSTAR 65, also cataloged as USA 213, is GPS IIF-1: the first spacecraft in the GPS IIF generation. Launched in May 2010 aboard a Delta IV, it introduced a new combination of timing, signal, and onboard-processing capabilities. Its role is positioning, navigation, and timing, rather than taking pictures of Earth.

Three months between launch and acceptance

The first IIF underwent an extended test campaign involving the ground control system, other GPS satellites, and different receivers. Satellite command authority transferred on August 25, 2010; SVN-62 was set healthy the next day. Those dates describe commissioning, not a fresh confirmation of signal health today.

A new signal needs a compatible receiver

A receiver does not gain every modernization benefit just because this satellite is above the horizon. It needs support for the relevant signals and usable navigation data. The catalog track answers where the spacecraft is predicted to be; it does not test the receiver in your phone or establish which signals it is using.

Mission reference: US Air Force: GPS IIF-1 capabilities and commissioning. Editorial review: 2026-09-07.

L5: more than another name for L1

GPS IIF-1 carried the first full L5 transmitter, following an experimental L5 broadcast from an earlier spacecraft in 2009. Combining L1 and L5 measurements helps correct ionospheric delay. This is a signal-design benefit, not a promise of a particular accuracy everywhere. GPS.gov is an archived reference here; its dated constellation counts are not presented as current deployment status.

Reference: GPS.gov archive: civil signals and the first full L5 transmitter.

Timing and software were part of the upgrade

The IIF design used advanced atomic clocks and an onboard processor with capacity for software updates. A clock controls the timing reference behind the ranging signal; it is not a distance sensor pointed at the user. These changes distinguish the IIF generation from older GPS spacecraft even when their map traces look similar.

Reference: US Air Force: IIF clock and processor improvements.

Reading this orbital snapshot

Based on TLE epoch: 2026-09-03. Estimated altitude ranges from 19,841 km at perigee to 20,523 km at apogee, a difference of 683 km. The orbital period is about 718.0 minutes. Eccentricity 0.01285 shows why a single altitude cannot describe the whole path. In a two-body approximation, perigee speed is 1.03 times apogee speed. These are mean-element estimates, not instantaneous measurements. Distance per orbit uses an ellipse approximation.

Saved build snapshot. If a valid TLE is retrieved, this explanation and the orbit panel update together. Otherwise this dated snapshot is retained.

Ground track is not sensor coverage

An inclination of 54.26 degrees implies approximate geocentric ground-track limits of 54.3 degrees north and south. This is a prograde orbit, moving in the same general direction as Earth rotation. The plotted line marks the point beneath the object. It does not represent camera coverage, radio reception, or a guaranteed visible pass.

Accuracy and missing information

The introductory record describes the build snapshot. The orbital snapshot explanation and orbit panel share any successfully retrieved TLE; check the displayed epoch. Reentered objects retain historical data only. Mission history is not rewritten by TLE updates. TLE/SGP4 positions are predictions and can change after maneuvers or updated observations. The 14-day stale-data cutoff is a display safeguard, not an accuracy guarantee. Local passes are geometric predictions, not a visibility forecast. No verified operator or mission status means unknown, not active. Do not use this catalog for collision avoidance or operational flight decisions.

Catalog sources: CelesTrak SATCAT: NORAD 36585 · GCAT: S36585 (source update 2026 Sep 4 2345:57). Supplementary metadata: SatNOGS DB, retrieved 2026-09-05T12:57:25.375Z. Page assembled 2026-09-15. GCAT phase codes describe trajectory phases, not mission health.

Learn more: TLE data · Perigee and apogee · Ground tracks · JOT (Jewawud Live Orbital Map)

Satellite Details