- Naval Ocean Surveillance System
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"NOSS" redirects here. For Scottish island, see Noss.
The NOSS 3-4 duo (2007-027A & C) crossing through the Pleiades. Movement in this 10 second exposure is from top to bottom, the A object is leading.
The Naval Ocean Surveillance System (NOSS), reportedly also called White Cloud and PARCAE, refers to one or several systems of SIGINT satellites which conducted ELINT for the U.S. Navy beginning in the early 1970s.
The system is operated by the United States Navy and its main purpose was tactical geolocation of Soviet fleet assets during the Cold War. The NOSS satellites operate in clusters in low Earth orbit to detect radio transmissions from ships at sea and locate them using the "Time Difference Of Arrival" technique.[1]
Contents
Satellites
Name ID Launch date Launch vehicle Launch site NROL designation Perigee Apogee Inclination Remarks First generation
OPS 6431 SSU-1 1976-038C 1976-04-30 Atlas E/F-MSD VAFB SLC-3W N/A 1,092 km 1,128 km 63.5° Dispenser designated OPS 6431 and catalogued as 1976-038A OPS 6431 SSU-2 1976-038D OPS 6431 SSU-3 1976-038J OPS 8781 SSU-1 1977-112D 1977-12-08 Atlas E/F-MSD VAFB SLC-3W 1,054 km 1,169 km 63.4° Dispenser designated OPS 8781 and catalogued as 1977-112A OPS 8781 SSU-2 1977-112E OPS 8781 SSU-3 1977-112F OPS 7245 SSU-1 1980-019C 1980-03-03 Atlas E/F-MSD VAFB SLC-3W 1,035 km 1,150 km 63.0° Dispenser designated OPS 8781 and catalogued as 1980-019A OPS 8781 SSU-2 1980-019D OPS 8781 SSU-3 1980-019G OPS 3255 SSU-1 N/A 1980-12-09 Atlas E/F-MSD VAFB SLC-3W Failed to orbit Dispenser designated OPS 3255, loss of control after engine failure, followed by explosion OPS 3255 SSU-2 N/A OPS 3255 SSU-3 N/A OPS 0252 SSU-1 1983-008E 1983-02-09 Atlas H-MSD VAFB SLC-3E 1,063 km 1,186 km 63.40° Dispenser designated OPS 0252 and catalogued as 1983-008A OPS 0252 SSU-2 1983-008F OPS 0252 SSU-3 1983-008H OPS 6432 SSU-1 1983-056C 1983-06-09 Atlas H-MSD VAFB SLC-3E 851 km 1,363 km 63.4° Dispenser designated OPS 6432 and catalogued as 1983-056A OPS 6432 SSU-2 1983-056D OPS 6432 SSU-3 1983-056G OPS 8737 SSU-1 1984-012C 1984-02-05 Atlas H-MSD VAFB SLC-3E 1,052 km 1,172 km 63.4° Dispenser designated OPS 8737 and catalogued as 1984-012A OPS 8737 SSU-2 1984-012D OPS 8737 SSU-3 1984-012F USA-16 1986-014C 1984-02-05 Atlas H-MSD VAFB SLC-3E 1,049 km 1,166 km 63.0° Dispenser designated USA-15 and catalogued as 1986-014A USA-17 1986-014F USA-18 1986-014H USA-23 1987-043E 1987-05-15 Atlas H-MSD VAFB SLC-3E 1,045 km 1,179 km 62.9° Dispenser designated USA-22 and catalogued as 1987-043A USA-24 1987-043F USA-26 1987-043H Second generation
USA-60 1990-050E 1990-06-08 Titan IV(405)A CCAFS LC-41 N/A 1,071 km 1,146 km 63.4° Dispenser designated USA-59 and catalogued as 1990-050A USA-61 1990-050F USA-62 1990-050H USA-74 1991-076C 1991-11-08 Titan IV(403)A VAFB SLC-4E 1,052 km 1,164 km 63.4° Dispenser designated USA-72 and catalogued as 1991-076A USA-76 1991-076D USA-77 1991-076E Unnamed N/A 1993-08-02 Titan IV(403)A VAFB SLC-4E Failed to orbit Exploded due to crack in solid rocket motor caused by poor repair Unnamed N/A Unnamed N/A USA-119 1996-029A 1996-05-12 Titan IV(403)A VAFB SLC-4E 1,050 km 1,166 km 63.4° Dispenser designated USA-122 and catalogued as 1996-029D USA-120 1996-029B USA-121 1996-029C Third generation
USA-160 2001-040A 2001-09-08 Atlas IIAS VAFB SLC-3E NROL-13 1,100 km 1,100 km 63° Unnamed* 2001-040C USA-173 2003-054A 2003-12-02 Atlas IIAS VAFB SLC-3E NROL-18 1,013 km 1,200 km 63.4° Unnamed* 2003-054C USA-181 2005-004A 2005-02-03 Atlas IIIB CCAFS SLC-36B NROL-23 1,011 km 1,209 km 63.4° Unnamed* 2005-004C USA-194 2007-027A 2007-06-15 Atlas V 401 CCAFS SLC-41 NROL-30 1,053 km 1,163 km 63.4° Launched into lower orbit than planned, spacecraft corrected under own power, at expense of operational life Unnamed* 2007-027C USA-229 2011-014A 2011-04-15 Atlas V 411 VAFB SLC-3E NROL-34 1,014 km 1,207 km 63.4° Possibly fourth generation satellite Unnamed* 2011-014B - * - One satellite from each third generation pair is officially catalogued as debris
- data from [1], [2]
Cost
The costs of the NOSS satellites (excluding costs for the launch vehicle), which were destroyed in a Titan IV launch failure in 1993, were US$ 800 million (inflation adjusted US$ 1.2 billion in 2011).[2]
See also
- Poppy (satellite)
- ELINT
References
A NOSS satellite Trio passes the Moon.- ^ "NOSS Double and Triple Satellite Formations". satobs.org. http://www.satobs.org/noss.html.
- ^ Weiner, Tim (1993-08-04). "Titan Lost Payload: Spy-Satellite System Worth $800 Million". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/04/us/titan-lost-payload-spy-satellite-system-worth-800-million.html?src=pm.
External links
- The U.S. Navy's "White Cloud" Spaceborne ELINT System
- NOSS @ astronautix.com
- BBC - h2g2 - Naval Ocean Surveillance Satellites - a 'UFO'
US reconnaissance satellitesIMINT KH-1 CORONA · KH-2 CORONA · KH-3 CORONA · KH-4A CORONA · KH-4B CORONA · KH-5 ARGON · KH-6 LANYARD · KH-7 GAMBIT · KH-8 GAMBIT 3 · KH-9 HEXAGON · KH-10 DORIANLACROSSE ··SIGINT MASINT Primary missionSecondary missionResearch and
developmentPrimary missionMiTEx ·Secondary mission·Unknown USA numberCategories:- Reconnaissance satellites of the United States
- SIGINT satellites
- United States spacecraft stubs
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