The 2nd Space Operations Squadron decommissioned Satellite Vehicle Number 38, to give way to the next generation of GPS III satellites at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado, Oct. 9, 2019.
First Lieutenant Kristina Brandes, 2nd SOPS chief bus system analyst, said the squadron was disposing of the satellite because it is at the end of its operational life.
“It’s one of our oldest satellites that launched 22 years ago,” she said. “Once we turn off the transmitter (one of the final commands), it will basically be dead in the air...it will be tracked as space debris.”