Global Positioning System (GPS) was developed by the U.S. Department of Defense to provide all-weather round-the-clock navigation capabilities for military ground, sea, and air forces.
Since its implementation, GPS has also become an integral asset in numerous civilian applications and industries around the globe, including recreational used (e.g., boating, aircraft, hiking), corporate vehicle fleet tracking, and surveying.
They used S-band (SGLS) communications for control and telemetry and Ultra high frequency (UHF) cross-link between spacecraft.
Built by Rockwell Space Systems for the U.S. Air force, the spacecraft measured 5.3 m across with solar panels deployed and had a design life of 7.5 years.
[4] It had PRN 24, and operated in slot 1 of plane D of the GPS constellation,[6] until it was removed from service on 30 September 2011.