USA-229
Encyclopedia
USA-229, known before launch as NRO Launch 34 (NROL-34), is a pair of American
signals intelligence satellite
s which were launched in 2011. They are operated by the United States National Reconnaissance Office
.
Both satellites were deployed by a United Launch Alliance
Atlas V
411 carrier rocket, which launched from Space Launch Complex 3E
at the Vandenberg Air Force Base
. The launch occurred at 04:24 UTC on 15 April 2011. The rocket placed the satellites into a low Earth orbit
. By 04:29 UTC, official updates on the status of the spacecraft had been discontinued.
Whilst details of the satellites and their missions are officially classified, amateur observers have identified that the Atlas V deployed two satellites, one of which has officially been catalogued as debris. The two spacecraft have been identified as being a pair of third or fourth generation Naval Ocean Surveillance System
satellites. Amateur observations have located the spacecraft in an orbit with a perigee
of 1025 kilometres (636.9 mi) and an apogee
of 1207 kilometres (750 mi), inclined
at 64.4 degrees to the plane of the equator. Current generation NOSS satellites are always launched and operated in pairs, and are used to locate and track ships from the radio transmissions that they emit.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
signals intelligence satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
s which were launched in 2011. They are operated by the United States 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:...
.
Both satellites were deployed by a United Launch Alliance
United Launch Alliance
United Launch Alliance is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing. ULA was formed in December 2006 by combining the teams at these companies which provide spacecraft launch services to the government of the United States. U.S...
Atlas V
Atlas V
Atlas V is an active expendable launch system in the Atlas rocket family. Atlas V was formerly operated by Lockheed Martin, and is now operated by the Lockheed Martin-Boeing joint venture United Launch Alliance...
411 carrier rocket, which launched from Space Launch Complex 3E
Vandenberg AFB Space Launch Complex 3
Space Launch Complex 3 is a launch site at Vandenberg Air Force Base that has been used by Atlas and Thor rockets. It was built in the early 1960s and consists of two pads, SLC-3E and SLC-3W . The East-West coastline at Vandenberg allows SLC-3 to launch over-ocean polar trajectories that avoid...
at the 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 ....
. The launch occurred at 04:24 UTC on 15 April 2011. The rocket placed the satellites into a low Earth orbit
Low Earth orbit
A low Earth orbit is generally defined as an orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2,000 km...
. By 04:29 UTC, official updates on the status of the spacecraft had been discontinued.
Whilst details of the satellites and their missions are officially classified, amateur observers have identified that the Atlas V deployed two satellites, one of which has officially been catalogued as debris. The two spacecraft have been identified as being a pair of third or fourth generation Naval Ocean Surveillance System
Naval Ocean Surveillance System
The Naval Ocean Surveillance System , reportedly also called White Cloud and PARCAE, refers to one or several systems of SIGINT satellites which conducted ELINT for the U.S. Navy beginning in the early 1970s....
satellites. Amateur observations have located the spacecraft in an orbit with a perigee
Apsis
An apsis , plural apsides , is the point of greatest or least distance of a body from one of the foci of its elliptical orbit. In modern celestial mechanics this focus is also the center of attraction, which is usually the center of mass of the system...
of 1025 kilometres (636.9 mi) and an apogee
Apsis
An apsis , plural apsides , is the point of greatest or least distance of a body from one of the foci of its elliptical orbit. In modern celestial mechanics this focus is also the center of attraction, which is usually the center of mass of the system...
of 1207 kilometres (750 mi), inclined
Inclination
Inclination in general is the angle between a reference plane and another plane or axis of direction.-Orbits:The inclination is one of the six orbital parameters describing the shape and orientation of a celestial orbit...
at 64.4 degrees to the plane of the equator. Current generation NOSS satellites are always launched and operated in pairs, and are used to locate and track ships from the radio transmissions that they emit.