USA-224

After the Boeing-led Future Imagery Architecture program failed in 2005, the National Reconnaissance Office ordered two more KH-11s. Critics worried that each of these "exquisite-class"{{cite web |last=Ray |first=Justin |url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/10/15/atlas-5-pierces-the-night-to-boost-national-security-satellite-into-space/ |title=Atlas 5 pierces the night to boost national security satellite into space |work=Spaceflight Now |date=15 October 2017 |access-date=31 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190831211714/https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/10/15/atlas-5-pierces-the-night-to-boost-national-security-satellite-into-space/ |archive-date=31 August 2019 |url-status=live }} satellites would cost more than the Navy's latest aircraft carrier ({{US$|6.35 billion}} in 2005, or about

${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|6350000000|2005|r=-7}}}} today{{Inflation-fn|US}}).{{cite book|last=Bray|first=Hiawatha|title=You Are Here: From the Compass to GPS, the History and Future of How We Find Ourselves|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=noDQAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA163|date=1 April 2014|publisher=Basic Books|isbn=978-0-465-03285-3|page=163|quote=Just one of the [KH-11] satellites was more expensive than the navy's latest Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, which had cost $6.35 billion.}}{{cite web |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/navycvn21.htm |title=Navy CVN-21 Aircraft Carrier Program: Background and Issues for Congress |publisher=Naval History and Heritage Command |first=Ronald |last=O'Rourke |date=25 May 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150114000626/https://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/navycvn21.htm |archive-date=14 January 2015 |access-date=31 August 2019}} Instead, USA-224–the first of these two–was completed by Lockheed {{US$|2 billion|long=no}} under the initial budget estimate and two years ahead of schedule.{{cite web |url=https://spacenews.com/10-who-made-difference-space-bruce-carlson-nro-director/ |title=10 Who Made a Difference in Space: Bruce Carlson, NRO Director |work=Space News |date=29 August 2011 |access-date=31 August 2019}}

USA-224 was launched atop a Delta IV Heavy rocket from Vandenberg AFB Space Launch Complex 6 in California. The launch was conducted by United Launch Alliance, and was the first flight of a Delta IV Heavy from Vandenberg.{{cite web|last=Ray|first=Justin|date=19 January 2011|title=Delta 4-Heavy ready to serve nation from West Coast pad|url=http://www.spaceflightnow.com/delta/d352/padmods/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110122114447/http://www.spaceflightnow.com/delta/d352/padmods/|archive-date=22 January 2011|access-date=22 January 2011|publisher=Spaceflight Now}} Liftoff occurred on 20 January 2011 at 21:10:30 UTC.{{cite web|last=Ray|first=Justin|date=23 January 2011|title=Delta 4-Heavy's hush-hush payload found and identified|url=https://spaceflightnow.com/delta/d352/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190831153753/https://spaceflightnow.com/delta/d352/|archive-date=31 August 2019|access-date=31 August 2019|work=Delta Launch Report|publisher=Spaceflight Now}} Upon reaching orbit, the satellite received the International Designator 2011-002A.{{cite web|last=Christy|first=Robert|title=Space events - 2011|url=http://www.zarya.info/Diaries/2011.php|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019065644/http://www.zarya.info/Diaries/2011.php|archive-date=19 October 2012|access-date=22 January 2011|work=Zarya}}

The satellite began operating 33 days after its predecessor, USA-161, stopped doing its primary mission. This coverage gap was much smaller than originally feared, thanks to USA-224's earlier-than-planned launch and operational changes to extend the lifetime of USA-161.

As the fifteenth KH-11 satellite to be launched, USA-224 is a member of one of the later block configurations occasionally identified as being a separate system. Details of its mission and orbit are classified, but amateur observers have tracked it in low Earth orbit. Shortly after launch it was in an orbit with a perigee of {{convert|251|km}}, an apogee of {{convert|1023|km}} and 97.9 degrees of inclination, typical for an operational KH-11 satellite.{{cite web|url=http://www.satobs.org/seesat/Jan-2011/0195.html|title=RE: NROL-49 search elements|publisher=SeeSat-L|first=Ted|last=Molczan|date=21 January 2011|access-date=22 January 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928141334/http://www.satobs.org/seesat/Jan-2011/0195.html|archive-date=28 September 2011|url-status=live}} By April it was {{convert|260|by|987|km}} at 97.93 degrees.{{cite web|url=http://www.satobs.org/seesat/Apr-2011/0337.html|title=NROL-34: NOSS 3-5 elements|publisher=SeeSat-L|first=Ted|last=Molczan|date=27 April 2011|access-date=31 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924095609/http://www.satobs.org/seesat/Apr-2011/0337.html|archive-date=24 September 2015|url-status=live}}

{{Multiple image

| direction = vertical

| total_width = 220

| image1 = 2019-08-29 Safir launch failure.jpg

| align = left

| caption1 = The photo believed to have been taken by USA-224 tweeted by President Trump in August 2019

| image2 = 2019 Safir rocket explosion U.S. overhead imagery - NGA declass.pdf

| caption2 = The original GEOINT product given to Trump, declassified by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in November 2022

}}

On 30 August 2019, President Donald Trump tweeted a classified picture{{cite tweet|user=realdonaldtrump|number=1167493371973255170|date=30 August 2019|title=The United States of America was not involved in the catastrophic accident during final launch preparations for the Safir SLV Launch at Semnan Launch Site One in Iran. I wish Iran best wishes and good luck in determining what happened at Site One.|author-link=Donald Trump|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190830174448/https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/1167493371973255170|archive-date=30 August 2019|access-date=31 August 2019|language=en}} from an intelligence briefing showing the aftermath of an accident that apparently occurred during launch preparations of a Safir rocket at the Imam Khomeini Spaceport a day earlier.{{Cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.in/us-official-confirms-that-trump-tweeted-out-a-picture-from-a-classified-intelligence-briefing/articleshow/70917964.cms|title=US official confirms that Trump tweeted out a picture from a classified intelligence briefing|website=Business Insider|access-date=2019-09-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190901013352/https://www.businessinsider.in/us-official-confirms-that-trump-tweeted-out-a-picture-from-a-classified-intelligence-briefing/articleshow/70917964.cms|archive-date=2019-09-01|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://apnews.com/1c0551a96afd4bcb8bbf14e2c0b413b2|title=Iran acknowledges rocket explosion, says test malfunctioned|last1=Karimi|first1=Nasser|last2=Gambrell|first2=Jon|date=2019-09-02|website=AP NEWS|access-date=2019-09-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190902181746/https://www.apnews.com/1c0551a96afd4bcb8bbf14e2c0b413b2|archive-date=2019-09-02|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/29/politics/iranian-rocket-explodes/index.html|title=Iranian rocket explodes on launch pad|first=Barbara |last=Starr|website=CNN|date=29 August 2019 |access-date=2019-09-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190831124743/https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/29/politics/iranian-rocket-explodes/index.html|archive-date=2019-08-31|url-status=live}} According to analysts, the photo is likely to have been taken by USA-224.{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2019/09/02/756673481/amateurs-identify-u-s-spy-satellite-behind-president-trumps-tweet|title=Amateurs Identify U.S. Spy Satellite Behind President Trump's Tweet|website=NPR.org|date=2 September 2019 |language=en|access-date=2019-09-02|last1=Brumfiel |first1=Geoff }}{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/story/trump-tweeted-a-sensitive-photo-internet-sleuths-decoded-it/|title=Trump Tweeted a Sensitive Photo. Internet Sleuths Decoded It|magazine=Wired|access-date=2019-09-04|language=en|issn=1059-1028|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190904073025/https://www.wired.com/story/trump-tweeted-a-sensitive-photo-internet-sleuths-decoded-it/|archive-date=2019-09-04|url-status=live}} The opinion is based on a close agreement between the estimated time when the photo was taken (based on the orientation of shadows cast by structures in the photo), and the location of the satellite at that same time, as estimated with tracking data maintained by the amateur satellite watching community.{{Cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.sg/intelligence-veterans-react-trump-tweet-iran-launch-pad-briefing-photo-2019-8/|title=Intelligence veterans are pulling their hair out over Trump's 'outrageous' and 'moronic' decision to tweet out a photo from a classified briefing|last=Sheth|first=Sonam|date=2019-08-31|website=Business Insider Singapore|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190901003612/https://www.businessinsider.sg/intelligence-veterans-react-trump-tweet-iran-launch-pad-briefing-photo-2019-8/|archive-date=2019-09-01|url-status=live|access-date=2019-09-01}}{{Cite web|url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2019/08/30/surveillance-photos-reveal-apparent-explosion-on-iranian-launch-pad/|title=Surveillance photos reveal apparent explosion on Iranian launch pad|work=Spaceflight Now|last=Clark|first=Stephen|language=en-US|date=30 August 2019|access-date=31 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190831153743/https://spaceflightnow.com/2019/08/30/surveillance-photos-reveal-apparent-explosion-on-iranian-launch-pad/|archive-date=31 August 2019|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://qz.com/1699833/what-we-can-learn-from-the-spy-satellite-image-trump-tweeted/|title=What we can learn from the spy satellite image Trump tweeted|last=Fernholz|first=Tim|website=Quartz|date=31 August 2019 |language=en|access-date=2019-08-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190901003612/https://qz.com/1699833/what-we-can-learn-from-the-spy-satellite-image-trump-tweeted/|archive-date=2019-09-01|url-status=live}} The {{Nowrap|off-nadir}} photograph stands out for its high-resolution (estimated by analysts to be 10 cm or less per pixel), sharpness and lack of atmospheric distortion. Before this tweet, the only KH-11 imagery available was leaked in 1984, and the only declassified imagery available in public domain was released in 2011 taken by KH-9.

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Category:National Reconnaissance Office satellites

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Category:USA satellites