Orion (satellite)

These satellites at geostationary orbits collect radio emissions (SIGINT) and act as replacements for the older constellation of Magnum satellites. The satellites have estimated mass close to 5,200 kg and very large (estimated 100 m diameter){{cite web |url=http://reseau.echelon.free.fr/reseau.echelon/satellites.htm |title=Les satellites espions de la NSA |lang=fr |trans-title=Spy satellites of the NSA |website=Spyworld.fr |date=2006}} radio reflecting dishes. USA-223 (NROL-32), which is seen as the fifth satellite in the series, is according to NRO director Bruce Carlson "the largest satellite in the world."{{cite web |title=National Reconnaissance Office Update |url=http://www.afa.org/events/conference/2010/scripts/AFA-100913-Carlson.pdf |author=Bruce Carlson |website=afa.org |publisher=Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition 2010 |access-date=2010-11-25 |date=2010-09-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206140015/http://www.afa.org/events/conference/2010/scripts/AFA-100913-Carlson.pdf |archive-date=2010-12-06 |url-status=dead}} It is believed that this refers to the diameter of the main antenna, which might be well in excess of {{cvt|100|m}}.{{cite web |title=Delta IV Heavy launches with NROL-32 |url=http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2010/11/live-delta-iv-heavy-launch-with-nrol-3/ |author=William Graham |publisher=NASASpaceFlight.com |access-date=2010-11-22 |date=2010-11-21}} The mission and capabilities of these satellites are highly classified, though targets may include telemetry, VHF radio, cellular mobile phones, paging signals, and mobile data links.{{cite web |url=https://fas.org/irp/eprint/ic2000/ic2000.htm#_Toc448565534 |title=STOA Report: Interception Capabilities 2000 |last=Campbell |first=Duncan |date=April 1999}} Earlier satellites with similar missions, the Rhyolite/Aquacade series, were built by TRW; it is not known who made the Orion satellites.[http://www.planet4589.org/space/jsr/back/news.369 Jonathan's Space Report No. 369]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090619224722/http://www.planet4589.org/space/jsr/back/news.369|date=2009-06-19}} (1998-08-22).

File:USA202 Mentor4.jpg|USA-202 shows up as a magnitude +8 "star" in this image. Note how the real stars are trailed in this 10-second exposure: the geostationary satellite is pinpoint.

File:NROL-32b_ULA_21NOV2010.jpg|USA-223 (NROL-32), the fifth "Mentor" satellite, atop a Delta IV rocket

File:USA202_Thuraya2.jpg|USA-202 and the nearby commercial geostationary satellite Thuraya 2

Mentor-4 (USA-202) deployment and initial westward drift after launch in January 2009 was controlled by the Pine Gap base. About 60 days after launch Menwith Hill Ground Station was to take over control and initiate the collection mission. Mentor-4's initial mission was to survey line-of-sight microwave towers and emitters in the People's Republic of China for 30 to 45 days as it was drifting from east to west. Moving further west, it was to collect data from the Thuraya network and monitor Pakistan and Afghanistan, followed by another 200 days of monitoring of China. This was to be followed by data collection covering the Middle East, Northern Africa, and Latin America.{{cite web |title=Two New Collection Assets to Greatly Expand MHS Target Coverage |url=https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/3089495/pages/MHS-collection-assets-p1-normal.gif |publisher=National Security Agency |access-date=2017-05-04 |date=2009-01-05}}{{cite web |url=http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3095/1 |title=A NEMESIS in the sky: PAN, MENTOR 4, and close encounters of the SIGINT kind |author=Marco Langbroek |publisher=The Space Review |date=31 October 2016 |access-date=5 May 2017}}

class="wikitable sortable"
Name ! COSPAR ID ! Launch date (UTC) ! Launch vehicle ! Launch site ! Launch designation ! Longitude ! Remarks
| USA-110	{{COSPAR|1995-022A}}	14 May 1995 13:45:01	Titan IV(401)A	CCSFS, SLC-40	N/A	127° E	MENTOR 1
| USA-139	{{COSPAR|1998-029A}}	9 May 1998 01:38:01	Titan IV(401)B	CCSFS, SLC-40	NROL-6	{{nowrap|44° E (1998–2009)}} 14.5°W (2009–)	MENTOR 2
| USA-171	{{COSPAR|2003-041A}}	9 September 2003 04:29:00	Titan IV(401)B	CCSFS, SLC-40	NROL-19	95.5° E	MENTOR 3
| USA-202	{{COSPAR|2009-001A}}	18 January 2009 02:47:00	Delta IV Heavy	CCSFS, SLC-37B	NROL-26	44° E	MENTOR 4
| USA-223	{{COSPAR|2010-063A}}	style="white-space: nowrap"| 21 November 2010 22:58:00	Delta IV Heavy	CCSFS, SLC-37B	NROL-32	100.9° E {{cite web |author1=T. Flohrer |author2=R. Choc |author3=B. Bastida |date=February 2011 |url=http://www.kfetter.com/EAS/ESAclassificationIssue13 |title=CLASSIFICATION OF GEOSYNCHRONOUS OBJECTS ISSUE 13 |publisher=ESA |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713145058/http://www.kfetter.com/EAS/ESAclassificationIssue13 |archive-date=2011-07-13}}	MENTOR 5
| USA-237	{{COSPAR|2012-034A}}	style="white-space: nowrap"| 29 June 2012 13:15:00	Delta IV Heavy	CCSFS, SLC-37B	NROL-15	89.21° E {{cite web |author1=ESA's Space Debris Office |date=April 2017 |url=http://www.astronomer.ru/data/0128/ESA_GEO_Classification_Report_issue_19.pdf |title=CLASSIFICATION OF GEOSYNCHRONOUS OBJECTS ISSUE 19 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190107105814/http://www.astronomer.ru/data/0128/ESA_GEO_Classification_Report_issue_19.pdf |publisher=ESA |archive-date=2019-01-07}}	MENTOR 6
| USA-268	{{COSPAR|2016-036A}}	style="white-space: nowrap"| 11 June 2016 17:51:00{{cite news |url=http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/06/11/triple-barrel-delta-4-heavy-launches-national-security-satellite/ |title=Triple-barrel Delta 4-Heavy launches national security satellite |author=Justin Ray |publisher=Spaceflight Now |date=11 June 2016 |access-date=12 June 2016}}	Delta IV Heavy	CCSFS, SLC-37B	NROL-37	104.18° E	MENTOR 7
| USA-311	{{COSPAR|2020-095A}}	11 December 2020 01:09{{cite web |last1=Clark |first1=Stephen |title=Delta 4-Heavy launches U.S. spy satellite after months of delays |url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/12/11/delta-4-heavy-launches-u-s-spy-satellite-after-months-of-delays/ |publisher=Spaceflight Now |access-date=13 December 2020}}	Delta IV Heavy	CCSFS, SLC-37B	NROL-44	51° E{{cite web |url=http://www.satobs.org/seesat/Jan-2021/0066.html |title=ISON elements of Mentor 8 |first=Ted |last=Molczan |publisher=satobs.org |date=15 January 2021}}	MENTOR 8
| USA-345	{{COSPAR|2023-089A}}	22 June 2023 09:18{{cite web |last=Graham |first=William |url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2023/06/delta-iv-heavy-nrol-68/ |title=ULA's penultimate Delta IV Heavy launches NROL-68 mission |date=22 June 2023 |access-date=22 June 2023 |work=NASASpaceFlight}}	Delta IV Heavy	CCSFS, SLC-37B	NROL-68		MENTOR 9
| USA-353	{{COSPAR|2024-067A}}	9 April 2024 16:53{{cite web |title=Delta IV Heavy NROL-70 |url=https://www.ulalaunch.com/missions/next-launch/delta-iv-heavy-nrol-70 |access-date=10 April 2024}} | Delta IV Heavy	CCSFS, SLC-37B	NROL-70

{{Portal|Spaceflight}}

{{Reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20161217160642/http://www.astronautix.com/a/advancedorion.html Advanced Orion] at Encyclopedia Astronautica
• [http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/systems/magnum.htm Magnum/ Mentor/ Orion] at Globalsecurity.org
• [https://satelliteobservation.wordpress.com/2017/09/24/a-radiotelescope-in-the-sky-the-usa-202-orion-satellite The USA 202 ORION satellite]

{{US Reconnaissance Satellites}}

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Category:Reconnaissance satellites of the United States

Category:Signals intelligence satellites

Category:Military equipment introduced in the 1990s