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Misty (satellite program)

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Misty is reportedly the name of a classified project by the United States National Reconnaissance Office to operate stealthy reconnaissance satellites. The satellites are conjectured to be photo reconnaissance satellites and the program has been the subject of atypically public debates about its worthiness in the defense budget since December 2004. The estimated project costs in 2004 dollars are US$9.5 billion (inflation adjusted US$12.3 billion in 2024).[1]

Launches

The first satellite (USA-53 or 1990-019B,[2] 19,600 kg) launched for the program was deployed on March 1, 1990 by the Space Shuttle Atlantis as part of Mission STS-36. Objects associated with the satellite decayed on March 31, 1990, but the satellite was seen and tracked later that year and in the mid-1990s by amateur observers.[1] The second satellite (USA-144 or 1999-028A[3]) was launched on May 22, 1999, and by 2004 the launch of a third satellite was planned for 2009.[4] Circumstantial evidence suggested that the third satellite might be the payload of the Delta IV Heavy launch designated NROL-15,[5] which was launched in June 2012. That launch deposited a payload into geosynchronous orbit but, given the stealth/deception hypothesis, there remains the possibility of other, undetected payloads.

Name COSPAR ID[6]
SATCAT № 		Launch date
(UTC) 		Launch vehicle Launch site Launch designation Orbit Decay date Remarks
USA-53 1990-019B
20516		 28 February 1990
07:50		 Space Shuttle Atlantis
(STS-36)		 KSC LC-39A N/A
USA-144 1999-028A
25744		 22 May 1999
09:36		 Titan IV(404)B VAFB SLC-4E NROL-9

Design

Misty is reported to have optical and radar stealth characteristics, making it difficult for adversaries to detect (and thus predict the times it would fly overhead). Almost everything about the program is classified information.

Criticism

Porter Goss, a former Congressman and former CIA director, and George Tenet, former CIA director, have both vigorously supported successors to Misty, despite several attempts by Senators Dianne Feinstein and John D. Rockefeller IV to terminate the program. The primary contractor is Lockheed Martin Space Systems.

On June 21, 2007, the Associated Press reported that Director of National Intelligence John Michael McConnell had canceled the Misty program. While a spokesman of McConnell declined to comment on the report, he confirmed that McConnell has the authority to cancel projects.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Keefe, Patrick Radden (February 2006). "I Spy". Wired. Retrieved 2010-12-27.
  2. ^ 1990-019B
  3. ^ 1999-028A
  4. ^ Priest, Dana (2004-12-11). "New Spy Satellite Debated On Hill: Some Question Price and Need". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2010-12-27.
  5. ^ "NRO Payload Guesses".
  6. ^ Jonathan's Space Report: List of satellite launches
  7. ^ ""Misty" Stealth Spy Satellite Program Cancelled?". SatNews. 2007-06-26. Retrieved 2010-12-28.[permanent dead link]
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