Engineering:USA-276
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| Names | USA-276 NROL-76 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Radar imaging / Technology demonstration |
| Operator | National Reconnaissance Office |
| COSPAR ID | 2017-022A |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | Bell Aerospace |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | May 1, 2017, 7:15 am EST[1] |
| Rocket | Falcon 9 Full Thrust |
| Launch site | Launch Pad 39A, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, United States |
| Contractor | SpaceX |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Regime | Low Earth Orbit[2] |
| Inclination | ~50°[2] |
USA-276, also known as NROL-76, is a classified spacecraft operated by the National Reconnaissance Office.[3] Due to being classified, very little information is known about the satellite.[4]
Background
USA-276 was launched onboard Falcon 9 NROL-76.[1] The Falcon 9 upper stage that carried USA-276 to its orbit made several close flybys of the ISS.[4]
See also
- List of NRO launches
- Sentient (intelligence analysis system)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Graham, William (2017), SpaceX Falcon 9 launches first NRO mission with NROL-76, NASA Spaceflight, https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2017/04/spacex-falcon-9-first-nro-mission-nrol-76/, retrieved January 16, 2024
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Krebs, Gunter D. (2023), USA 276 (NROL 76), Gunter Space Page, https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/usa-276.htm, retrieved January 16, 2024
- ↑ Bell, E. (2022), USA 276, NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive, https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=2017-022A, retrieved January 16, 2024
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Secret NROL-76 Satellite crosses Paths with ISS – Coincidence or Deliberate?". June 3, 2017. https://spaceflight101.com/falcon-9-nrol-76/secret-nrol-76-iss-flyby/.
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