Mentor 6

Mentor 6

USA

Spacecraft n°:

US spacecraft n°:

Also called: USA 237 & NROL-15 - Advanced Orion 6

Designation	38528 / 12034A
Launch date	29 June 2012 - 13:15 UT
Launch site	CC, SLC-37B
Launch vehicle	Delta-4H (upgraded)
Mission	Military: Electronic Surveillance, ELINT
Geostationary orbit:
Perigee / Apogee	35771 x 35805 km
Eccentricity	4,03E-04
Inclination	0 deg
Period	23.94(??) min

Prime manufacturer	National Reconnaissance Laboratory(?)
Platform
Operator	National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)
Mass at launch	5000 kg
Dry Mass	kg
Basic shape
Dimension (m)
Equipment	Large Dish Antenna
Solar array
Stabilization	3-axis stabilization
Propulsion
DC power
Design lifetime

Date	Position	Remarks
July 2012	60° E

The Mentor satellites (name has been reported, but is not confirmed), which are generally known as 'Advanced Orion'), are geostationary signals intelligence satellites, which replaced the Magnum / Orion series.
NROL-15 is a classified mission for the National Reconnaissance Office.

On Jun 29, 2012 the NROL-15 mission was launched on a Delta 4 Heavy, the first to use up rated RS-68A engines instead of the usual RS-68. The new engines were developed especially for the NROL-15 payload, which is therefore assumed to be unusually heavy. Evidence suggests a launch to geostationary orbit; the mission is likely to be a geostationary signals intelligence satellite. It is unclear whether the extra performance needed reflects an evolutionary (`block') change in the existing series of payloads (referred to as Advanced ORION by outside observers) or indicates an entirely new system of some kind, either as a successor or as a parallel system with a different mission.
The Delta 4's 5-meter second stage is also believed to be in near-geosynchronous orbit.

Ref.: #7(JR661), #14, #226, #228 - update: 31.07.12