Jumpseat (satellite)
Encyclopedia
Jumpseat, also known as AFP-711http://www.planet4589.org/space/jsr/back/news.135 is reportedly a code name for a class of SIGINT
reconnaissance satellites operated by the National Reconnaissance Office
for the United States Air Force
in the 1970s and 1980s. The program is classified, and much of the information in the open is speculative.
It is believed that 6 Jumpseat satellites were successfully launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base
on Titan IIIB
launch vehicles with Agena D
boosters between 21 March 1971 and 31 July 1983.
The 700-kg Jumpseat satellites were manufactured by Hughes Aircraft
and were inserted into highly elliptical Molniya orbit
s with an inclination of 63 degrees and orbital periods of close to 12 hours.
These were in similar orbits to the Satellite Data System
relay satellites.
The successors to the Jumpseat series are the Trumpet
satellites.
SIGINT
Signals intelligence is intelligence-gathering by interception of signals, whether between people , whether involving electronic signals not directly used in communication , or combinations of the two...
reconnaissance satellites operated by the National Reconnaissance Office
National Reconnaissance Office
The National Reconnaissance Office , located in Chantilly, Virginia, is one of the 16 U.S. intelligence agencies. It designs, builds, and operates the spy satellites of the United States government.-Mission:...
for the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
in the 1970s and 1980s. The program is classified, and much of the information in the open is speculative.
It is believed that 6 Jumpseat satellites were successfully launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northwest of Lompoc, California. It is under the jurisdiction of the 30th Space Wing, Air Force Space Command ....
on Titan IIIB
Titan III
The Titan IIIC was a space booster used by the United States Air Force. It was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL., and Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA. It was planned to be used as a launch vehicle in the cancelled Dyna-Soar and Manned Orbiting Laboratory programs...
launch vehicles with Agena D
RM-81 Agena
The RM-81 Agena was an American rocket upper stage and satellite support bus which was developed by Lockheed initially for the canceled WS-117L reconnaissance satellite program...
boosters between 21 March 1971 and 31 July 1983.
The 700-kg Jumpseat satellites were manufactured by Hughes Aircraft
Hughes Aircraft
Hughes Aircraft Company was a major American aerospace and defense contractor founded in 1932 by Howard Hughes in Culver City, California as a division of Hughes Tool Company...
and were inserted into highly elliptical Molniya orbit
Molniya orbit
Molniya orbit is a type of highly elliptical orbit with an inclination of 63.4 degrees, an argument of perigee of -90 degree and an orbital period of one half of a sidereal day...
s with an inclination of 63 degrees and orbital periods of close to 12 hours.
These were in similar orbits to the Satellite Data System
Satellite Data System
The Satellite Data System is a system of United States military communications satellites. At least three generations have been used: SDS-1 from 1976 to 1987; SDS-2 from 1989 to 1996; SDS-3 from 1998 to the present...
relay satellites.
The successors to the Jumpseat series are the Trumpet
Trumpet (satellite)
TRUMPET , called Advanced Jumpseat by some observers, is reportedly a codename for a series of ELINT reconnaissance satellites launched by the United States during the 1990s to replace the Jumpseat satellites...
satellites.
List of Launches
| Name | Launch date | Alt. name | COSPAR COSPAR The Committee on Space Research was established by the International Council for Science in 1958.Among COSPAR's objectives are the promotion of scientific research in space on an international level, with emphasis on the free exchange of results, information, and opinions, and providing a forum,... ID |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jumpseat 1 | 21 March 1971 | OPS 4788 | 1971-021A |
| failed Jumpseat launch | 16 February 1972 | OPS 1844, 1972-F01 | failed to achieve orbit |
| Jumpseat 2 | 21 August 1973 | OPS 7724 | 1973-056A |
| Jumpseat 3 | 10 March 1975 | OPS 2439 | 1975-017A |
| Jumpseat 4 | 25 February 1978 | OPS 6031 | 1978-021A |
| Jumpseat 5 | 13 December 1980 | OPS 5805 | 1980-100A |
| Jumpseat 6 | 31 July 1983 | OPS 7304 | 1983-078A |
External links
- Entry at astronautix.com
- Entry at Gunter's space page
- Log of satellite launches from Jonathan's Space ReportJonathan's Space ReportJonathan's Space Report is a newsletter about the space age. It is written by Jonathan McDowell, a Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics astrophysicist...
- JUMPSEAT - SIGINT Spacecraft Series (NRO/USAF/ NSA - Program AFP-711) at GlobalSecurity.orgGlobalSecurity.orgGlobalSecurity.org, launched in 2000, is a public policy organization focusing on the fields of defense, space exploration, intelligence, weapons of mass destruction and homeland security...