Air Force dumping two GPS satellites

The Air Force is disposing of two GPS satellites.

Satellite vehicle number (SVN) 37, launched in 1993, and SVN 40, launched in 1996, will be ordered to move into a new orbit.

"GPS satellites do not carry enough fuel for de-orbit maneuvers, and are instead relocated into a disposal orbit roughly 1,000 kilometers above the operational GPS orbit," according to an Air Force news release. "The disposed vehicles will most likely never re-enter the Earth's atmosphere."

Both satellites performed for more than double their service life of 7.5 years, the Air Force said. But SVN 37 has a stuck solar array and can't generate enough power, and SVN 40's reaction wheels, which stabilize the satellite, aren't working properly.

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