| Name of Satellite, Alternate Names | DMSP 5D-3 F16 (Defense Meteorological Satellites Program, USA 172) |
| Country of Operator/Owner | USA |
| Operator/Owner | DoD/NOAA |
| Users | Military |
| Purpose | Earth Science/Meteorology |
| Class of Orbit | LEO |
| Type of Orbit | Sun-Synchronous |
| Longitude of GEO (degrees) | 0 |
| Perigee (km) | 843 |
| Apogee (km) | 852 |
| Eccentricity | 0.000623484586075511 |
| Inclination (degrees) | 98.9 |
| Period (minutes) | 101.87 |
| Launch Mass (kg.) | 1154 |
| Dry Mass (kg.) | 825 |
| Power (watts) | 900 |
| Date of Launch | 18-10-2003 |
| Expected Lifetime | 5 yrs. |
| Contractor | Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space |
| Country of Contractor | USA |
| Launch Site | Vandenberg AFB |
| Launch Vehicle | Titan 2 |
| COSPAR Number | 2003-048A |
| NORAD Number | 28054 |
| Comments | Near-polar orbits; investigate Earth´s environment. |