ORS 1

Spacecraft nº:

US spacecraft nº:

Launch data: Designation  37728 / 11029A Launch date  30 Jun 2011 - 03:09 UT Launch site  Wallops I, LA-0B Launch vehicle  Minotaur 1 Mission  Military: Reconnaissance, Imaging LEO Earth orbit: Perigee / Apogee  396 x 410 km Eccentricity  1.03E-03 Inclination  40.0 deg Period  92.62 min

Description:

• ORS-1 is a a small spacecraft designed to make the benefits of satellite technology more accessible to deployed U.S. military forces in Afghanistan and other war zones in the Middle East. Developed on a rapid timeline for the Pentagon′s Operationally Responsive Space office, the satellite will snap images of the battlefield and relay them directly to troops, bypassing intelligence analysts and ground controllers in the United States. The ORS 1 satellite′s importance is highlighted by the planned reduction in troop levels in Afghanistan, according to a U.S. Air Force space official. With less manpower on the ground, forces will need a technological edge over the enemy. The ORS 1 spacecraft will operate at the whim of troop commanders on the battlefield, while legacy reconnaissance satellites typically capture strategic imagery that ends up in the hands of analysts in Washington, D.C.
• Reconaissance for US Central Command in Afghanistan and Central Asia.
• ORS 1 (Operationally Responsive Space 1) is the first imaging satellite of the ORS program. The ORS Sat-1 satellite system will provide color pictures of regions selected by ground force commanders, and use existing ground systems to process and distribute the images and other information out to the battlefield. The system is designed to support urgent military needs, while establishing a foundation that will advance the multi-mission modular approach required for future ORS satellites.
• ORS-1 is a prototype operational imaging satellite operated by the USAF Operationally Responsive Space program at Kirtland AFB, New Mexico. Derived from the experimental Tacsat 3 vehicle, it carries an optical/infrared imaging sensor. The USAF hopes that satellites like this can be launched quickly on need; this satellite will support US Central Command.

Mission details:

• ORS-1 was launched at 0309 UTC on Jun 30, 2011 from Launch Area 0B at Wallops Island and separated from its Minotaur launch vehicle at 0321 UTC. The payload (or possibly its final stage) was observed by hobbyists in a 396 x 409 km x 40.0 deg orbit on Jul 2, 2011.