science

USA-304

USA-304 is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand USA-304 rather than just read about it. In short: USA-304, also known as GPS-III SV03 or Matthew Henson, is a United States navigation satellite which forms part of the Global Positioning System. It was the third GPS Block III satellite to be launched.

Key takeaways

USA-304 belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect USA-304 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of USA-304 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

USA-304, also known as GPS-III SV03 or Matthew Henson, is a United States navigation satellite which forms part of the Global Positioning System. It was the third GPS Block III satellite to be launched.

Satellite

SV03 is the third GPS Block III satellite to be launched. Ordered in 2008, launch was pushed back several times to 2020 due to delays with the first and second satellites. The spacecraft is built on the Lockheed Martin A2100 satellite bus, and weighs in at 4,311 kg (9,504 lb).

Launch USA-304 was launched by SpaceX on 30 June 2020 at 20:10 UTC atop Falcon 9 booster B1060. The launch took place from SLC-40 of the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and placed USA-304 directly into semi-synchronous orbit. About eight minutes after launch, Falcon 9 B1060 successfully landed on Just Read the Instructions.

Orbit As of 2021, USA-304 was in a 55.2 degree inclination orbit with a perigee of 20,164 kilometers (12,529 mi) and an apogee of 20,214 km (12,560 mi).

Notes

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with USA-304

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what USA-304 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to USA-304 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about USA-304 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of USA-304

In research: USA-304 appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses USA-304 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: USA-304 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics GPS satellites, SpaceX military payloads, Spacecraft launched in 2020, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for USA-304 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study USA-304 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what USA-304 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain USA-304 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is USA-304 in simple terms?

Why does USA-304 matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study USA-304?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on USA-304.