USA-229 - Misplaced Pages

USA-229
Spacecraft properties
Names	NROL-34 NRO Launch 34 NOSS-3 5A and 5B Intruder 9A and 9B

Mission type	SIGINT
Operator	United States NRO
COSPAR ID	2011-014A
SATCAT no.	37386 and 37391


Spacecraft	NOSS-3 5 (3rd Generation)
Spacecraft type	Intruder
Bus	NOSS-3
Manufacturer	Lockheed Martin
Launch mass	3250 kg (each)


Start of mission
Launch date	15 April 2011, at 04:24 UTC
Rocket	Atlas V 411 (AV-027)
Launch site	Vandenberg, SLC-3E
Contractor	ULA


Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit
Regime	Low Earth orbit
Perigee altitude	1015 km
Apogee altitude	1207 km
Inclination	63.46°

Naval Ocean Surveillance System← USA-194 USA-238 →

USA-229, known before launch as NRO Launch 34 (NROL-34), is a pair of American signals intelligence satellites 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 launch vehicle, which launched from SLC-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 1,015 kilometres (631 mi) and an apogee of 1,207 kilometres (750 mi), inclined at 63.46° 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 and aircraft from the radio transmissions that they emit.

References

Molczan, Ted (24 April 2011). "NROL-34: NOSS 3-5 elements". SatObs.
^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Issue 640". Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
Ray, Justin. "Mission Status Center". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
Ted, Molczan (17 April 2011). "NROL-34 - NOSS 3-5 pair spotted tonight from Austin, Texas". Satobs. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
Krebs, Gunter. "NOSS-3". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
Ray, Justin (18 April 2011). "Observers confirm identity of last week's Atlas payload". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 24 April 2011.

v t e National Reconnaissance Office satellite launches
L-1 L-2 L-3 L-4 L-5 L-6 L-7 L-8 L-9 L-10 L-11 L-12 L-13 L-14 L-15 L-16 L-17 L-18 L-19 L-20 L-21 L-22 L-23 L-24 L-25 L-26 L-27 L-28 L-29 L-30 L-31 L-32 L-33 L-34 L-35 L-36 L-37 L-38 L-39 L-40 L-41 L-42 ... L-45 L-47 L-49 L-55 L-61 L-65 L-66 L-67 L-79

v t e ← 2010 Orbital launches in 2011 2012 →
January	Elektro-L No.1 USA-224 Kounotori 2 Progress M-09M (Kedr)
February	Kosmos 2470 USA-225 Johannes Kepler ATV STS-133 (Leonardo) Kosmos 2471
March	Glory, Explorer-1 , KySat-1, Hermes USA-226 USA-227
April	Soyuz TMA-21 Compass-IGSO3 USA-229 Resourcesat-2, YouthSat, X-Sat Yahsat 1A, New Dawn Progress M-10M
May	Meridian 4 USA-230 STS-134 (AMS-02, ELC-3) Telstar 14R ST-2, GSAT-8 / INSAT-4G
June	Soyuz TMA-02M SAC-D Rasad 1 ChinaSat 10 Progress M-11M Kosmos 2472 USA-231
July	Shijian XI-03 STS-135 (Raffaello, PSSC-2) Tianlian I-02 Globalstar M083, Globalstar M088, Globalstar M091, Globalstar M085, Globalstar M081, Globalstar M089 GSAT-12 SES-3, KazSat-2 USA-232 Spektr-R Compass-IGSO4 Shijian XI-02
August	Juno Astra 1N, BSAT-3c/JCSAT-110R Paksat-1R Hai Yang 2A Sich 2, NigeriaSat-2, NigeriaSat-X, RASAT, EduSAT, AprizeSat-5, AprizeSat-6, BPA-2 Ekspress-AM4 Shijian XI-04 Progress M-12M
September	GRAIL-A , GRAIL-B Zhongxing-1A Kosmos 2473 Arabsat 5C, SES-2 IGS Optical 4 Atlantic Bird 7 TacSat-4 Tiangong-1 QuetzSat 1
October	Kosmos 2474 / GLONASS-M 742 Intelsat 18 Eutelsat 16A Megha-Tropiques, SRMSAT, VesselSat-1, Jugnu ViaSat-1 Galileo-IOV FM1 , Galileo-IOV FM2 NPP, AubieSat-1, DICE-1, DICE-2, M-Cubed, RAX-2 Progress M-13M Shenzhou 8
November	Kosmos 2475 , Kosmos 2476 , Kosmos 2477 Fobos-Grunt , Yinghuo-1 Yaogan 12 , Tian Xun-1 Soyuz TMA-22 Shiyan Weixing 4 , Chuang Xin 1C AsiaSat 7 Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity) Kosmos 2478 Yaogan 13
December	Compass-IGSO5 Amos-5, Luch 5A IGS Radar 3 Pléiades-HR 1A, SSOT, ELISA 1, ELISA 2, ELISA 3, ELISA 4 NigComSat-1R Soyuz TMA-03M Ziyuan-1C Meridian 5 Globalstar M080, Globalstar M082, Globalstar M084, Globalstar M086, Globalstar M090, Globalstar M092
Launches are separated by dots ( • ), payloads by commas ( , ), multiple names for the same satellite by slashes ( / ). Crewed flights are underlined. Launch failures are marked with the † sign. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are (enclosed in parentheses).

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