Engineering:Samos-F

Short description: Series of SIGINT reconnaissance satellites

SAMOS-F or Air Force Program 102 refers to a series of SIGINT reconnaissance satellites launched and operated by the United States Air Force and National Reconnaissance Office during the 1960s. Initial priorities (in decreasing order) were to monitor radio waves in the frequency bands 2.5-3.2 GHz (S band), 9.0–10 GHz (X band), and 59-650 MHz. The intercepted data and their location were stored on magnetic tape, and subsequently transmitted to tracking and acquisition ground stations. Tracking stations were located in the NE (New Boston, New Hampshire), Central (Ottumwa, Iowa), and NW (Fort Stevens (Oregon)) of the continental United States, with additional test sites at Vandenberg Air Force Base , California, and at Ka'ena Point, Oahu, Hawai. The satellites are also called Agena ferrets and heavy ferrets. Approximately sixteen heavy ferrets were launched into low Earth orbits from Vandenberg Air Force Base between February 1962 and July 1971 aboard Thor-Agena and Thorad-Agena rockets. Almost everything about these satellites remains classified.

Launch list

Name	Alt name	Launch date	ID	Mass (kg)	Decay date	Perigee (km)	Apogee (km)	Inclination (°)
SAMOS F2-1	1962 Delta 1	1962-02-21	1962-004A	1000	1962-03-09	169	220	81.9°
SAMOS F2-2	1962 Omega 1	1962-06-18	1962-024A	1500	1963-10-30	370	394	82.1°
SAMOS F2-3	OPS-0180	1963-01-16	1963-003A	1100	1969-01-09	459	533	81.8°
SAMOS F2-4	OPS-1440	1963-06-29	1963-027A	1500	1969-10-26	485	521	82.3°
SAMOS F3-1	OPS-3722	1964-02-28	1964-011A	1500	1969-02-19	493	509	82,0°
SAMOS F3-2	OPS-3395	1964-07-02	1964-035A	1500	1969-08-07	494	530	82,0°
SAMOS F3-3	OPS-3062	1964-11-04	1964-072A	1500	1969-11-05	507	526	82,0°
SAMOS F3-4	OPS-8411	1965-07-17	1965-055A	1500	1968-12-18	469	511	70.1°
SAMOS F3-5	OPS-1439	1966-02-09	1966-009A	1500	1969-09-26	499	504	82,0°
SAMOS F3-6	OPS-1584	1966-12-29	1966-118A	1500	1969-04-05	484	492	75,0°
SAMOS F3-7	OPS-1879	1967-07-25	1967-071A	1500	1969-06-05	454	512	75,0°
SAMOS F3-8	OPS-1965	1968-01-17	1968-004A	1500	1970-07-07	455	534	75.1°
SAMOS F3-9	OPS-0964	1968-10-05	1968-086A	2000	1971-03-26	481	506	75,0°
SAMOS F3-10	OPS-8285	1969-07-31	1969-065A	1500	1973-01-04	459	538	75,0°
SAMOS F3-11	OPS-8329	1970-08-26	1970-066A	2000	1975-03-26	482	500	74.9°
SAMOS F3-12	OPS-8373	1971-07-16	1971-060A	2000	1978-08-31	486	505	75,0°

References

• SAMOS F2 and SAMOS F3 from Gunter's space page
• SAMOS from Jonathan McDowell
• Dwayne Day, "Ferrets above: American signals intelligence satellites during the 1960s" International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence, 17 no. 3. p449-467 (2004)