Quill 1 (OPS3762, FTV2355)

Launch data:

Description:

• The Quil 1 satellite was the world's first SAR (synthetic aperture radar) imaging satellite, flown as a proof of concept and used to image test targets in the US, proving that space radar could identify features through cloud cover. It was not followed up for many years - the civilian NASA Seasat mission in 1978 was the next SAR flight.
• For decades the identity of the payload remained classified, although a few independent satellite observers recognized that this was an unusual bird that did not operate in the same kind of orbit as other, much more common reconnaissance satellites.

Mission details:

• On Dec 21, 1964 at 19:09 UT, the US Air Force launched a top secret National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) satellite from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California atop a Thor Agena rocket. The 1477 kg satellite consisted of a modified Lockheed CORONA/Agena vehicle, with a 0.6 x 4.6m Goodyear X-band (9.6 GHz) radar antenna panel flush with the body of the Agena D upper stage, vehicle 2355. The camera system in the payload body was replaced by the KP-II radar itself and a recorder/transmitter system. A Thrust Augmented Thor boosted the Agena to a suborbital trajectory; a fairing over the antenna was ejected and then the Agena made a 4 minute burn to achieve a 236 x 263 km x 70.1 deg orbit. Data was radioed to the Vandenberg and New Boston (New Hampshire) ground stations, and also recorded onto videotape wound into a CORONA-type Mark VA recovery capsule, SRV 588.
• On 1964 Dec 23 at 2022 UTC the 139 kg SRV was ejected over the Kodiak, Alaska tracking station and fired its TE-236A solid motor to reenter, descending on parachutes for mid-air recovery at 2056 UTC over the Pacific northeast of Hawaii, at 23 38N 143 45W.
• The KP-II radar continued operations until Dec 26 when the spacecraft batteries failed, and the QUILL spacecraft reentered at 1027 UTC on 1965 Jan 11 over the South Atlantic.