Lacrosse (satellite)
U.S. radar reconnaissance satellite series, declassified in 2008.
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Lacrosse, also referred to as Onyx, is a series of terrestrial radar imaging reconnaissance satellites operated by the United States National Reconnaissance Office. Its existence was widely suspected but not officially confirmed until July 2008, when the NRO declassified its synthetic aperture radar satellite constellation. The program originated from a 1980 dispute between the Central Intelligence Agency and the U.S. Air Force, resolved in favor of the Air Force's radar-only design.
Future
The Lacrosse satellites were expected to be replaced by the radar component of the Future Imagery Architecture (FIA). Severe problems with FIA in the early 2000s led to a plan to shift radar reconnaissance to Space Based Radar, later simplified to Space Radar, with an initial launch anticipated around 2015. Congress axed that program in late 2008. The launch of NROL-41 (USA 215) in September 2010, with orbital characteristics of a radar remote sensing platform, may represent the first of a Lacrosse follow-up program.
Launches
Five Lacrosse spacecraft have been launched; none remain in orbit. They operate in orbital planes inclined at either 68° or 57°, which together with their altitude provides complete coverage of Earth's surface including the poles. Lacrosse 5 differs from the previous four: amateur observers note subtle orbital differences, a whiter color instead of the earlier red-orange tint, and a rapid fade from brightness to invisibility in full sunlight, an accidental phenomenon rather than a deliberate stealth feature.
Did You Know?
- The 1994 film The Dallas Connection involves codes needed to control a Lacrosse satellite.
- The 2018 Hindi movie Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran depicts a Lacrosse satellite as U.S. intelligence eye in the sky.
More in Military Space Program of the United States
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Lacrosse (satellite) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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