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Series of signals-intelligence satellites of the U.S. Navy
The NOSS 3-4 duo (2007-027A and C) crossing through the Pleiades . Movement in this 10-second exposure is from top to bottom, the A object is leading. A NOSS satellite trio passes the Moon. NOSS 3-3 duo passing by Polaris (bright star at the bottom). Movement in this 12.3-seconds exposure is from upper-left to bottom-right; the A object is leading. 6 February 2016, 18:52 (UTC+2), Kyiv . The Naval Ocean Surveillance System (NOSS ) is a series of signals-intelligence satellites that have conducted electronic signals intelligence for the U.S. Navy since the early 1970s.[ 1] Union of Concerned Scientists in 2023, the system may be called the Space-Based Wide Area Surveillance System (SB-WASS). [ 2]
The system is operated by the United States Navy, and its main purpose was tactical geolocation of Soviet Navy assets during the Cold War . NOSS involves satellite clusters operating in low Earth orbit to detect radar and other electronic transmissions from ships at sea and locate them using the time difference of arrival technique.[ 3]
Name
ID
Launch date
Launch vehicle
Launch site
NROL designation
Perigee
Apogee
Inclination
Remarks
OPS 6431 SSU-1 1976-038C
30 April 1976
Atlas E/F -MSD
VAFB , SLC-3W
N/A
1,092 km
1,128 km
63.5°
Dispenser designated OPS 6431 and catalogued as 1976-038A.
OPS 6431 SSU-2
1976-038D
OPS 6431 SSU-3
1976-038J
OPS 8781 SSU-1
1977-112D
8 December 1977
Atlas E/F -MSD
VAFB , SLC-3W
1,054 km
1,169 km
63.4°
Dispenser designated OPS 8781 and catalogued as 1977-112A.
OPS 8781 SSU-2
1977-112E
OPS 8781 SSU-3
1977-112F
OPS 7245 SSU-1
1980-019C
3 March 1980
Atlas E/F -MSD
VAFB , SLC-3W
1,035 km
1,150 km
63.0°
Dispenser designated OPS 7245 and catalogued as 1980-019A.
OPS 7245 SSU-2
1980-019D
OPS 7245 SSU-3
1980-019G
OPS 3255 SSU-1
N/A
9 December 1980
Atlas E/F -MSD
VAFB , SLC-3W
Failed to orbit
Dispenser designated OPS 3255 , loss of control after engine failure, followed by explosion.
OPS 3255 SSU-2
N/A
OPS 3255 SSU-3
N/A
OPS 0252 SSU-1
1983-008E
9 February 1983
Atlas H -MSD
VAFB , SLC-3E
1,063 km
1,186 km
63.40°
Dispenser designated OPS 0252 and catalogued as 1983-008A.
OPS 0252 SSU-2
1983-008F
OPS 0252 SSU-3
1983-008H
OPS 6432 SSU-1
1983-056C
9 June 1983
Atlas H -MSD
VAFB , SLC-3E
851 km
1,363 km
63.4°
Dispenser designated OPS 6432 and catalogued as 1983-056A.
OPS 6432 SSU-2
1983-056D
OPS 6432 SSU-3
1983-056G
OPS 8737 SSU-1
1984-012C
5 February 1984
Atlas H -MSD
VAFB , SLC-3E
1,052 km
1,172 km
63.4°
Dispenser designated OPS 8737 and catalogued as 1984-012A.
OPS 8737 SSU-2
1984-012D
OPS 8737 SSU-3
1984-012F
USA-16
1986-014E
9 February 1986
Atlas H -MSD
VAFB , SLC-3E
1,049 km
1,166 km
63.0°
Dispenser designated USA-15 and catalogued as 1986-014A.
USA-17
1986-014F
USA-18
1986-014H
USA-23
1987-043E
15 May 1987
Atlas H -MSD
VAFB , SLC-3E
1,045 km
1,179 km
62.9°
Dispenser designated USA-22 and catalogued as 1987-043A.
USA-24
1987-043F
USA-26
1987-043H
USA-60
1990-050E
8 June 1990
Titan IV(405)A CCAFS , LC-41
N/A
1,071 km
1,146 km
63.4°
Dispenser designated USA-59 and catalogued as 1990-050A.
USA-61
1990-050F
USA-62
1990-050H
USA-74
1991-076C
8 November 1991
Titan IV(403)A
VAFB , SLC-4E
1,052 km
1,164 km
63.4°
Dispenser designated USA-72 and catalogued as 1991-076A.
USA-76
1991-076D
USA-77
1991-076E
Unnamed
N/A
2 August 1993
Titan IV(403)A
VAFB , SLC-4E
Failed to orbit
Exploded due to crack in solid rocket motor caused by poor repair.
Unnamed
N/A
Unnamed
N/A
USA-119
1996-029A
12 May 1996
Titan IV(403)A
VAFB , SLC-4E
1,050 km
1,166 km
63.4°
Dispenser designated USA-122 and catalogued as 1996-029D.
USA-120
1996-029B
USA-121
1996-029C
USA-160
2001-040A
8 September 2001
Atlas IIAS
VAFB , SLC-3E
NROL-13
1,100 km
1,100 km
63.0°
Unnamed *
2001-040C
USA-173
2003-054A
2 December 2003
Atlas IIAS
VAFB , SLC-3E
NROL-18
1,013 km
1,200 km
63.4°
Unnamed *
2003-054C
USA-181
2005-004A
3 February 2005
Atlas IIIB
CCAFS , SLC-36B NROL-23
1,011 km
1,209 km
63.4°
Unnamed *
2005-004C
USA-194
2007-027A
15 June 2007
Atlas V 401
CCAFS , SLC-41
NROL-30
1,053 km
1,163 km
63.4°
Launched into lower orbit than planned, spacecraft corrected under own power, at expense of operational life.
Unnamed *
2007-027C
USA-229
2011-014A
15 April 2011
Atlas V 411
VAFB , SLC-3E
NROL-34
1,015 km
1,207 km
63.46°
Unnamed *
2011-014B
USA-238
2012-048A
13 September 2012
Atlas V 401
VAFB , SLC-3E
NROL-36
1,056 km
1,158 km
63.4°
Unnamed *
2012-048P
USA-264
2015-058A
8 October 2015
Atlas V 401
VAFB , SLC-3E
NROL-55
1,013 km
1,201 km
63.4°
Unnamed *
2015-058R
USA-274
2017-011A
1 March 2017
Atlas V 401
VAFB , SLC-3E
NROL-79
1,010 km
1,204 km
63.4°
Unnamed *
2017-011B
USA-327
2022-040A
17 April 2022
Falcon 9 Block 5
CCAFS , SLC-40
NROL-85
1,100 km
1,100 km
63.4°
Launched.
Unnamed *
Not catalogued
* One satellite from each third generation pair is officially catalogued as debris .data from [1] , [2] The costs of the NOSS satellites (excluding costs for the launch vehicle), which were destroyed in a Titan IV launch failure in 1993, were US$800 million (inflation adjusted US$ 1.7 billion in 2024).[ 4]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
