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NOSS-3

Spacecraft · USA

Original archive entry. The text, images and links below are kept as they were written.

American military naval signals reconnaissance satellite. Operational, first launch 2001.09.08. Ocean Surveillance satellite built by Lockheed Martin for US Navy, USA. Launched 2001 - 2017.

The new generation series of National Reconnaissance Office naval electronic intelligence satellites was launched by Lockheed Martin Atlas IIAS from Vandenberg AFB, rather than by Titan 4. The Centaur upper stage would deploy what was catalogued as a main satellite and then a companion in a final circular operational orbit at 1100 km, 63 deg inclination. This was in comparison to a triangle of three satellites in earlier generation NOSS satellites, so the design was much lighter and probably quite different.

More at: NOSS-3.

Country
USA
Bibliography
2, 296, 552, 554, 12888