NAVSTAR 80 (USA 309)

About This Satellite

GPS III SV04 is the navigation spacecraft cataloged as NAVSTAR 80 and USA 309. It launched on November 5, 2020 aboard a Falcon 9. Its job is to support positioning, navigation, and timing; it does not photograph the location of the person using a GPS receiver.

Separation from the rocket was not the final orbit

The manufacturer reported separation about 89 minutes after liftoff. The onboard liquid apogee engine would then raise the satellite toward its working orbit. Solar-array and antenna deployment and handover preparations followed in the commissioning sequence. These were distinct steps, not one event completed at liftoff.

GPS III and GPS IIIF are different payload generations

The launch announcement describes L1C and M-Code capabilities on SV04, but assigns additional laser-reflector and search-and-rescue equipment to the follow-on GPS IIIF programme. A feature listed for that later generation must not be retroactively attributed to this spacecraft simply because both names contain GPS III.

Mission reference: Lockheed Martin: GPS III SV04 launch, orbit raising and payload generation. Editorial review: 2026-09-14.

Operational acceptance followed the launch

GPS.gov records December 1, 2020 as the operational-acceptance date for GPS III SV04, following its November 5 launch. This milestone establishes a historical transition into the operational system. It is not a continuously refreshed health bulletin for every signal today. The satellite's current radio usability must be assessed from the relevant service information, not from the fact that a TLE can still be propagated.

Reference: GPS.gov: GPS III SV04 launch and operational acceptance milestones.

L1C is not another name for the legacy L1 signal

GPS.gov distinguishes the newer L1C civil signal from legacy L1 C/A even though they share the L1 frequency band. The older signal is retained for compatibility, and receiving new signals requires suitable equipment. SV04's modernization role therefore does not mean every existing phone automatically gains every advertised capability. Signal design, receiver support, and service rollout must be considered separately; hardware capability alone is not a declaration that a new signal is operational.

Reference: GPS.gov: civil-signal distinctions, backward compatibility and receiver requirements.

Reading this orbital snapshot

Based on TLE epoch: 2026-09-05. Estimated altitude ranges from 19,980 km at perigee to 20,384 km at apogee, a difference of 403 km. The orbital period is about 718.0 minutes. Eccentricity 0.00759 indicates a nearly circular path. In a two-body approximation, perigee speed is 1.02 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 53.97 degrees implies approximate geocentric ground-track limits of 54.0 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 46826 · GCAT: S46826 (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)

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