The Nation - News from June 13, 1989
The radio-commanded firing of an onboard motor shifted a new navigation satellite into a circular orbit about 11,000 miles above the Earth, the Air Force reported. The Navstar satellite was launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday into a preliminary elliptical orbit ranging from about 100 to 11,000 miles high. The new satellite is the second advanced model Navstar to be launched. It is designed to tell U.S. and allied military forces where they are within 50 feet anywhere in the world. Ground stations tracked the satellite for nearly two days to determine its orbital path, then sent a radio signal to start the motor.
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