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Class: ELINT. Type: Naval reconnaisance. Nation: USA. Agency: U.S. Navy. Ocean surveillance; aka White Cloud type spacecraft; Navy Ocean Surveillance Satellite; PARCAE. NOSS detected the location of naval vessels using radio inferometry, and consisted of a main spacecraft and several subsatellites, linked by fine wires, several 100's of meters apart.
SpecificationTotal Mass: 700 kg.
NOSS Chronology
14 December 1971
OPS 7898 P/L 2 Launch Site: Vandenberg . Launch Vehicle: LT Thor Agena D. Perigee: 983 km. Apogee: 999 km. Inclination: 70.0 deg. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).
30 April 1976
NOSS 1 (Whitecloud 1) Launch Site: Vandenberg . Launch Vehicle: Atlas F. Perigee: 1,092 km. Apogee: 1,128 km. Inclination: 63.5 deg. Ocean surveillance; aka White Cloud type spacecraft; Navy Ocean Surveillance Satellite; PARCAE.
08 December 1977
NOSS 2 Launch Site: Vandenberg . Launch Vehicle: Atlas F. Perigee: 1,054 km. Apogee: 1,169 km. Inclination: 63.4 deg. Ocean surveillance; aka White Cloud type spacecraft; Navy Ocean Surveillance Satellite; PARCAE.
03 March 1980
NOSS 3 Launch Site: Vandenberg . Launch Vehicle: Atlas F. Perigee: 1,035 km. Apogee: 1,150 km. Inclination: 63.0 deg. Ocean surveillance; aka White Cloud type spacecraft; Navy Ocean Surveillance Satellite; PARCAE.
09 December 1980
SSU Launch Site: Vandenberg . Launch Vehicle: Atlas E. FAILURE: Failure.
08 February 1983
NOSS 4 Launch Site: Vandenberg . Launch Vehicle: Atlas H. Perigee: 1,063 km. Apogee: 1,186 km. Inclination: 63.4 deg. Ocean surveillance; aka White Cloud type spacecraft; Navy Ocean Surveillance Satellite; PARCAE.
09 June 1983
NOSS 5 Launch Site: Vandenberg . Launch Vehicle: Atlas H. Perigee: 1,049 km. Apogee: 1,167 km. Inclination: 63.4 deg. Ocean surveillance; aka White Cloud type spacecraft; Navy Ocean Surveillance Satellite; PARCAE.
05 February 1984
NOSS 6 Launch Site: Vandenberg . Launch Vehicle: Atlas H. Perigee: 1,052 km. Apogee: 1,172 km. Inclination: 63.4 deg. Ocean surveillance; aka White Cloud type spacecraft; Navy Ocean Surveillance Satellite; PARCAE.
09 February 1986
USA 15 Launch Site: Vandenberg . Launch Vehicle: Atlas H. Perigee: 1,049 km. Apogee: 1,166 km. Inclination: 63.0 deg. Ocean surveillance; aka White Cloud type spacecraft; Navy Ocean Surveillance Satellite; PARCAE.
15 May 1987
USA 22 Launch Site: Vandenberg . Launch Vehicle: Atlas H. Perigee: 1,045 km. Apogee: 1,179 km. Inclination: 62.9 deg. Ocean surveillance; aka White Cloud type spacecraft; Navy Ocean Surveillance Satellite; PARCAE.
02 August 1993
SSU Launch Site: Vandenberg . Launch Vehicle: Titan 4. FAILURE: Failure.
Bibliography:- 172 - McDowell, Jonathon, Quest, "US Reconnaissance Satellite Programs Part 2", 1995, Volume 4, Issue 4, page 49.
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Last update 12 March 2001.
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