From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

USA-184

American signals intelligence satellite

Field	Value
name	USA-184
mission_type	ELINT
operator	National Reconnaissance Office
COSPAR_ID	2006-027A
SATCAT	29249
launch_date	UTC
launch_rocket	Delta IV-M+(4,2) D317
launch_site	Vandenberg, SLC-6
last_contact
orbit_reference	Geocentric
orbit_regime	Molniya
orbit_periapsis	1138 km
orbit_apoapsis	39210 km
orbit_inclination	63.2°
apsis	gee

USA-184, also known as NRO Launch 22 or NROL-22, is an American signals intelligence satellite, operated by the National Reconnaissance Office. Launched in 2006, it has been identified as the first in a new series of satellites which are replacing the earlier Trumpet spacecraft.

Satellite

USA-184 was launched by Boeing, using a Delta IV carrier rocket flying in the Medium+(4,2) configuration. The rocket was the first Delta IV to launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, flying from Space Launch Complex 6, a launch pad originally constructed as part of abandoned plans for crewed launches from Vandenberg, originally using Titan rockets, and later Space Shuttles. The launch also marked the first launch of an Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle from Vandenberg, and the first launch of an NRO payload on an EELV.

Liftoff took place at 03:33 UTC on 28 June 2006 (20:33 PDT on 27 June). The mission was identified as NRO Launch 22, and was the sixth flight of a Delta IV, with the flight number Delta 317, or D317.

The satellite's orbit and mission are officially classified, however like most classified spacecraft it has been located and tracked by amateur observers. It is in a Molniya orbit with a perigee of 1138 km, an apogee of 39210 km, and 63.2° of inclination. In addition to its SIGINT payload, USA-184 also carries two secondary instruments; the SBIRS-HEO-1 missile detection payload as part of the Space-Based Infrared System programme, and NASA's TWINS-1 or TWINS-A magnetospheric science instrument as part of the TWINS programme.

References

McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page.
Krebs, Gunter. ""Trumpet F/O" 1, 2, 3". Gunter's Space Page.
Ray, Justin. (27 June 2006). "New era of rocket launches begins at California base". Spaceflight Now.
Bergin, Chris. (27 June 2006). "Delta IV – NROL-22 launch success". NASASpaceflight.com.
Ray, Justin. (28 June 2006). "Delta Launch Report - Mission Status Center". Spaceflight Now.
Krebs, Gunter. "NROL launches". Gunter's Space Page.
McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page.

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

spacecraft-launched-in-2006 national-reconnaissance-office-satellites usa-satellites early-warning-satellites

Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about USA-184 — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report