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How many satellites were included in the original full Navstar GPS constellation?
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GPS
U.S. Navstar Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite in orbit over Earth, shown in an artist's conception.
The original full Navstar GPS constellation, which reached completion in 1994, consisted of 24 satellites.12
These satellites were distributed across six circular orbits, with four satellites positioned in each orbit. In addition to this primary constellation, the system included provisions for maintaining several spare satellites in orbit to ensure continuous service and system replenishment.21