Samos-F
{{Short description|Series of SIGINT reconnaissance satellites}}
SAMOS-F or Air Force Program 102 refers to a series of SIGINT reconnaissance satellites launched and operated by the United States Air Force and National Reconnaissance Office during the 1960s. Initial priorities (in decreasing order) were to monitor radio waves in the frequency bands 2.5-3.2 GHz (S band), 9.0–10 GHz (X band), and 59-650 MHz. The intercepted data and their location were stored on magnetic tape, and subsequently transmitted to tracking and acquisition ground stations. Tracking stations were located in the NE (New Boston, New Hampshire), Central (Ottumwa, Iowa), and NW (Fort Stevens (Oregon)) of the continental United States, with additional test sites at Vandenberg AFB, California, and at Ka'ena Point, Oahu, Hawai.{{cite web|url=http://www.nro.gov/foia/declass/WS117L_Records/670.PDF|title=SAMOS LOCKHEED MISSILES AND SPACE DIVISION (MSD) SATELLITE SYSTEMS BRIEFING, PART II, THE SAMOS PROGRAM|publisher=SPACE AND MISSILE SYSTEMS ORGANIZATION AIR FORCE SYSTEMS COMMAND|date=1959-09-14|access-date=2011-07-22|archive-date=2013-02-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130224040132/http://www.nro.gov/foia/declass/WS117L_Records/670.PDF|url-status=dead}} The satellites are also called Agena ferrets and heavy ferrets. Approximately sixteen heavy ferrets were launched into low Earth orbits from Vandenberg Air Force Base between February 1962 and July 1971 aboard Thor-Agena and Thorad-Agena rockets. Almost everything about these satellites remains classified.
Launch list
| class="wikitable" |
| Name
! Alt name ! Launch date !Launch vehicle ! ID ! Mass (kg) ! Decay date ! Perigee (km) ! Apogee (km) ! Inclination (°) |
|---|
| SAMOS F2-1
| 1962 Delta 1 | 1962-02-21 |Thor | [https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1962-004A 1962-004A] | 1000 | 1962-03-09 | 169 | 220 | 81.9° |
| SAMOS F2-2
| 1962 Omega 1 | 1962-06-18 |Thor-Agena | [https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1962-024A 1962-024A] | 1500 | 1963-10-30 | 370 | 394 | 82.1° |
| SAMOS F2-3
| OPS-0180, Ferret 2 | 1963-01-16 |Thor Augmented Delta-Agena D | [https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1963-003A 1963-003A] | 1100 | 1969-01-09 | 459 | 533 | 81.8° |
| SAMOS F2-4
| OPS-1440, Ferret 3 | 1963-06-29 |Thor-Agena | [https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1963-027A 1963-027A] | 1500 | 1969-10-26 | 485 | 521 | 82.3° |
| SAMOS F3-1
| OPS-3722, Ferret 4 | 1964-02-28 |Thor Augmented Delta-Agena D | [https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1964-011A 1964-011A] | 1500 | 1969-02-19 | 493 | 509 | 82,0° |
| SAMOS F3-2
| OPS-3395 | 1964-07-02 |Thor Augmented Delta-Agena D | [https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1964-035A 1964-035A] | 1500 | 1969-08-07 | 494 | 530 | 82,0° |
| SAMOS F3-3
| OPS-3062, Ferret 6 | 1964-11-04 |Thor Augmented Delta-Agena D | [https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1964-072A 1964-072A] | 1500 | 1969-11-05 | 507 | 526 | 82,0° |
| SAMOS F3-4
| OPS-8411, Ferret 7 | 1965-07-17 |Thor Augmented Delta-Agena D | [https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1965-055A 1965-055A] | 1500 | 1968-12-18 | 469 | 511 | 70.1° |
| SAMOS F3-5
| OPS-1439, Ferret 8 | 1966-02-09 |Thor | [https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1966-009A 1966-009A] | 1500 | 1969-09-26 | 499 | 504 | 82,0° |
| SAMOS F3-6
| OPS-1584, Ferret 9 | 1966-12-29 |Thor | [https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1966-118A 1966-118A] | 1500 | 1969-04-05 | 484 | 492 | 75,0° |
| SAMOS F3-7
| OPS-1879, Ferret 10 | 1967-07-25 |Thor | [https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1967-071A 1967-071A] | 1500 | 1969-06-05 | 454 | 512 | 75,0° |
| SAMOS F3-8
| OPS-1965, Ferret 11 | 1968-01-17 |Thor | [https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1968-004A 1968-004A] | 1500 | 1970-07-07 | 455 | 534 | 75.1° |
| SAMOS F3-9
| OPS-0964, Ferret 12 | 1968-10-05 |Thor | [https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1968-086A 1968-086A] | 2000 | 1971-03-26 | 481 | 506 | 75,0° |
| SAMOS F3-10
| OPS-8285, Ferret 13 | 1969-07-31 |Thor | [https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1969-065A 1969-065A] | 1500 | 1973-01-04 | 459 | 538 | 75,0° |
| SAMOS F3-11
| OPS-8329, Ferret 14 | 1970-08-26 |Thor | [https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1970-066A 1970-066A] | 2000 | 1975-03-26 | 482 | 500 | 74.9° |
| SAMOS F3-12
| OPS-8373 | 1971-07-16 |Thor | [https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1971-060A 1971-060A] | 2000 | 1978-08-31 | 486 | 505 | 75,0° |
References
- [http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/samos-f2.htm SAMOS F2] and [http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/samos-f3.htm SAMOS F3] from Gunter's space page
- [http://www.planet4589.org/space/book/programs/nro/usafnro/samos.html SAMOS] from Jonathan McDowell
- Dwayne Day, "Ferrets above: American signals intelligence satellites during the 1960s" International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence, 17 no. 3. p449-467 (2004)
{{Template:National Reconnaissance Office}}
{{US Reconnaissance Satellites}}
Category:Signals intelligence satellites