KH-7

Codenamed Gambit, the KH-7 was a reconnaissance satellite used by the United States from July 1963 to June 1967. Like the older CORONA system, it acquired imagery intelligence by taking photographs and returning the undeveloped film to earth. It is also known as Air Force Program 206. Though most of the imagery from the KH-7 satellites was declassified in 2002, details of the satellite program (and the satellite's construction) are still classified information. The initial resolution of the satellite was 1.2 meters (4 feet), but improved to 0.6m (2 feet) by 1966. Each satellite weighed about 2000 kg, and returned a single film bucket per mission. The first nine KH-7 satellites were launched from Point Arguello; the remainder were launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base. KH-7 satellites flew 38 missions, numbered 4001-4038, of which 34 returned film, and of these, 30 returned usable imagery. [cite web|title=NRO review and redaction guide (2006 ed.)| url=http://www.fas.org/irp/nro/declass.pdf |publisher=National Reconnaissance Office] The KH-7 was manufactured by Lockheed.

A high-resolution instrument, the KH-7 took detailed pictures of "hot spots" and most of its photographs are of Chinese and Soviet nuclear and missile installations, with smaller amounts of coverage of cities and harbors. [NARA [http://arcweb.archives.gov/arc/basic_search.jsp ARC] database description of "Keyhole-7 (KH-7) Satellite Imagery, 07/01/1963 - 06/30/1967", accession number NN3-263-02-011] Most of the imagery from this camera, amounting to 19,000 images, was declassified in 2002 as a result of Executive order 12951 [cite web|title=National Archives Releases Recently Declassified Satellite Imagery| date=2002-10-09 | publisher=National Archives and Records Administration press release| url=http://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2003/nr03-02.html] , the same order which declassified CORONA, and copies of the films were transferred to the U.S. Geological Survey's [http://edc.usgs.gov/ Earth Resources Observation Systems] office. Approximately 100 frames covering the state of Israel remain classified. [cite web| title=Historical imagery declassification| |publisher=National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency|url=http://www.nga.mil/portal/site/nga01/index.jsp?epi-content=GENERIC&itemID=5b08f8d62404af00VgnVCMServer23727a95RCRD&beanID=1629630080&viewID=FAQ ]

The later KH-8 also used the Gambit codename.

List of launches

(NSSDC ID Numbers: "See" COSPAR)

References

*Mark Wade (August 9, 2003). [http://www.astronautix.com/craft/kh7.htm KH-7] . "Encyclopedia Astronautica". Accessed April 23, 2004.
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/systems/kh-7.htm KH-7 Gambit.] GlobalSecurity.org.
* [http://www.usgs.gov/features/satellite_images.html Gallery of KH-7 pictures] at USGS

Other U.S. imaging spy satellites

*Corona series: KH-1, KH-2, KH-3, KH-4
*KH-5 ARGON, KH-6 LANYARD
*KH-7 and KH-8 GAMBIT
*KH-9 HEXAGON "Big Bird"
*MOL -- KH-10
*KH-11, KH-12, KH-13