NOSS-Subsat

Class: SIGINT. Type: Naval reconnaisance. Destination: Medium Earth Orbit. Nation: USA. Agency: U.S. Navy.

Deployed from NOSS. NOSS detected the location of naval vessels using radio interferometry, and consisted of a main spacecraft and several subsatellites, linked by fine wires, several 100's of meters apart.

Typical orbit: 1032 km x 1186 km at 63 degrees inclination. Associated Launch Vehicle: Atlas F, Atlas H, Titan 4.

NOSS-Subsat Chronology

1976 April 30 - SSU 2 (NOSS 1) - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Atlas F. Perigee: 931 km (578 mi). Apogee: 1,286 km (799 mi). Inclination: 63.40 deg. Period: 107.40 min.
Deployed from NOSS 1.

1976 April 30 - SSU 3 (NOSS 1) - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Atlas F. Perigee: 893 km (554 mi). Apogee: 1,324 km (822 mi). Inclination: 63.40 deg. Period: 107.40 min.
Deployed from NOSS 1.

1976 April 30 - SSU 1 (NOSS 1) - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Atlas F. Perigee: 932 km (579 mi). Apogee: 1,284 km (797 mi). Inclination: 63.40 deg. Period: 107.40 min.
Deployed from NOSS 1.

1977 December 8 - SS 1 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Atlas F. Perigee: 1,054 km (654 mi). Apogee: 1,169 km (726 mi). Inclination: 63.40 deg. Period: 107.50 min.
Deployed from NOSS 2.

1977 December 8 - SS 2 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Atlas F. Perigee: 1,055 km (655 mi). Apogee: 1,168 km (725 mi). Inclination: 63.40 deg. Period: 107.50 min.
Deployed from NOSS 2.

1977 December 8 - SS 3 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Atlas F. Perigee: 1,055 km (655 mi). Apogee: 1,168 km (725 mi). Inclination: 63.40 deg. Period: 107.50 min.
Deployed from NOSS 2.

1980 March 3 - EP-2 (NOSS 3) - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Atlas F. Perigee: 1,048 km (651 mi). Apogee: 1,166 km (724 mi). Inclination: 63.50 deg. Period: 107.40 min.

1980 March 3 - EP 3 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Atlas F. Perigee: 1,048 km (651 mi). Apogee: 1,166 km (724 mi). Inclination: 63.50 deg. Period: 107.40 min.
Deployed from NOSS 3.

1980 March 3 - EP 1 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Atlas F. Perigee: 1,048 km (651 mi). Apogee: 1,166 km (724 mi). Inclination: 63.50 deg. Period: 107.40 min.
Deployed from NOSS 3.

1983 February 9 - SSD (NOSS 4) - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Atlas H. Perigee: 796 km (494 mi). Apogee: 1,419 km (881 mi). Inclination: 63.40 deg. Period: 107.42 min.
Released from NOSS 4.

1983 February 9 - SSC - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Atlas H. Perigee: 1,043 km (648 mi). Apogee: 1,173 km (728 mi). Inclination: 63.50 deg. Period: 107.40 min.
Released from NOSS 4.

1983 February 9 - SSA (NOSS 4) - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Atlas H. Perigee: 1,051 km (653 mi). Apogee: 1,164 km (723 mi). Inclination: 63.50 deg. Period: 107.40 min.
Released from NOSS 4.

1983 February 9 - SSA - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Atlas H. Perigee: 1,051 km (653 mi). Apogee: 1,166 km (724 mi). Inclination: 63.40 deg. Period: 107.40 min.
Released from NOSS 4.

1983 June 9 - GB3 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Atlas H. Perigee: 1,049 km (651 mi). Apogee: 1,166 km (724 mi). Inclination: 63.40 deg. Period: 107.40 min.

1983 June 9 - GB1 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Atlas H. Perigee: 1,049 km (651 mi). Apogee: 1,167 km (725 mi). Inclination: 63.40 deg. Period: 107.40 min.
Deployed from NOSS 5.

1983 June 9 - GB2 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Atlas H. Perigee: 1,049 km (651 mi). Apogee: 1,167 km (725 mi). Inclination: 63.40 deg. Period: 107.40 min.
Deployed from NOSS 5.

1984 February 5 - JD3 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Atlas H. Perigee: 1,052 km (653 mi). Apogee: 1,172 km (728 mi). Inclination: 63.40 deg. Period: 107.00 min.

1984 February 5 - JD1 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Atlas H. Perigee: 1,052 km (653 mi). Apogee: 1,172 km (728 mi). Inclination: 63.40 deg. Period: 107.00 min.
Deployed from NOSS 6.

1984 February 5 - JD2 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Atlas H. Perigee: 1,052 km (653 mi). Apogee: 1,172 km (728 mi). Inclination: 63.40 deg. Period: 107.00 min.
Deployed from NOSS 6.

1986 February 9 - USA 16 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Atlas H. Perigee: 1,055 km (655 mi). Apogee: 1,161 km (721 mi). Inclination: 63.00 deg. Period: 107.40 min.

1986 February 9 - USA 17 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Atlas H. Perigee: 1,055 km (655 mi). Apogee: 1,165 km (723 mi). Inclination: 63.00 deg. Period: 107.40 min.

1986 February 9 - USA 18 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Atlas H. Perigee: 817 km (508 mi). Apogee: 1,407 km (874 mi). Inclination: 63.41 deg. Period: 107.44 min.

1987 May 15 - USA 23 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Atlas H. Perigee: 1,039 km (645 mi). Apogee: 1,170 km (720 mi). Inclination: 63.40 deg. Period: 107.30 min.

1987 May 15 - USA 24 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Atlas H. Perigee: 1,046 km (649 mi). Apogee: 1,184 km (735 mi). Inclination: 63.20 deg. Period: 107.90 min.

1987 May 15 - USA 25 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Atlas H. Perigee: 1,035 km (643 mi). Apogee: 1,178 km (731 mi). Inclination: 62.60 deg. Period: 107.60 min.

1996 May 12 - USA 121 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Titan 4. Perigee: 1,055 km (655 mi). Apogee: 1,160 km (720 mi). Inclination: 63.40 deg.

1996 May 12 - USA 120 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Titan 4. Perigee: 1,058 km (657 mi). Apogee: 1,157 km (718 mi). Inclination: 63.40 deg.

Bibliography and Further Reading

McDowell, Jonathan, Jonathan's Space Home Page, Harvard University, 1997-present. Jonathan McDowell's complete on-line listing of all objects orbited and over 20,000 rocket launches Accessed at: http://www.planet4589.org/jsr.html.

McDowell, Jonathan, Jonathan's Space Report (Internet Newsletter), Harvard University, Weekly, 1989 to Present. Essential internet newsletter recording worldwide weekly space events. Accessed at: http://www.planet4589.org/jsr.html.

Krebs, Gunter, Gunter's Space Page, University of Frankfurt, 1996. Accessed at: http://www.skyrocket.de/space.

JPL Mission and Spacecraft Library, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 1997. Accessed at: http://msl.jpl.nasa.gov/home.html.

Lockheed Martin Coporation, Atlas Family Fact Sheets, September 1998.. Accessed at: http://www.lmco.com/ILS/txtmain/ils_lsysinfo.htm.

USAF Satellite Database, USAF Institute of Technology, 1995. Accessed at: ftp://archive.afit.af.mil/pub/space/.

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