USA 193

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USA 193 (NROL-21)
USA 193 (NROL-21)
Type: Experimental spy satellite
Country: United StatesUnited States United States
Operator: NGO
COSPAR-ID : 2006-057A
Mission dates
Dimensions: 2270 kg
Begin: December 14, 2006, 21:00 UTC
Starting place: Vandenberg , SLC-2W
Launcher: Delta II 7920 -10C D322
Status: destroyed in orbit on February 21, 2008
Orbit data
Rotation time : 91.83 min
Orbit inclination : 58.5 °
Apogee height :  376 km
Perigee height :  354 km

USA 193 , also known as NRO Launch 21 ( NRO-L 21 , NROL 21 , L-21 ), was an American experimental spy satellite . The satellite, the exact function of which is kept secret, belonged to the National Reconnaissance Office . It was probably a successor to the Lacrosse - Synthetic Aperture Radar satellites. The satellite gained particular notoriety because he in February 2008 by a US air missile of the type Standard Missile 3 has been deliberately destroyed (SM-3) of the stationed at Pearl Harbor cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG-70) was launched.

mission

NROL 21 took off from Vandenberg Air Force Base on December 14, 2006 on a Delta 7920 rocket. The launch was the first mission carried out by the recently formed United Launch Alliance . The mass of the satellite was 2270 kg. After reaching orbit between 354 km and 376 km altitude with 58.5 °  inclination , the satellite was named USA 193 , a generic name for military satellites of the United States. The ground contact with the satellite was lost within hours of its release in space. Amateur telescope images suggest that the solar cell boom did not unfold and the satellite therefore had no power supply. The failure of the energy supply also caused the temperature control to fail, so that the hydrazine fuel probably froze.

Orbit reduction

In January 2008, the press announced that an unspecified spy satellite would be leaving its orbit in a few weeks and crashing to earth. Amateur observers who have observed the USA in 193 since its launch confirmed the continuous decrease in orbit height. This was officially confirmed a little later and USA 193 was named as the satellite in question. By February 11, 2008, its orbit height had decreased at a rate of descent of around 0.7 km / day by 100 km to 255 km × 268 km at 58.48 ° inclination. Due to the increased deceleration in the earth's atmosphere , the rate of descent would have risen significantly and would have led to a crash in March 2008 at the latest.

Various media reported on dangerous substances that could be on board the satellite. In particular, the risk from the hydrazine in the drive system and possibly from the presence of beryllium were mentioned.

Speculations about a nuclear energy supply, for example from a radioisotope generator , were circulated in the press, but experts classified it as unlikely. A spokesman for the National Security Council confirmed that there was no radioactive material on board the satellite.

Launch

Debris and fireball after the collision of the SM-3 rocket with USA 193 (telescope photo)

After reports of plans to launch the satellite had already circulated, it was announced on February 14, 2008 that the satellite was to be destroyed by an anti-satellite missile shortly before re-entry into the earth's atmosphere in order to endanger the population by the approximately 500 kg of frozen hydrazine to prevent. The frozen hydrazine might have stabilized the satellite's fuel tank, allowing it to survive re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. The plan was to launch an SM-3 anti-aircraft missile from the guided missile cruiser USS Lake Erie , which would destroy the satellite with a ramming blow. According to official sources, the shooting down was not - as has been speculated - the purpose of preventing secret technology from falling into the hands of other states. The launch is also no answer to a Chinese anti-satellite test in 2007. The satellite was successfully launched on February 21, 2008 at 3:26 am UTC by a US interceptor in a launch area north of Hawaii at an altitude of 150 miles destroyed. The two destroyers USS Russell and USS Decatur provided radar and orbit data for the launch . None of the debris was bigger than a football. The last known object from USA 193 burned up on October 9, 2008.

  • Launch of the SM-3 aboard the guided missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG-70) destined for the destruction of USA 193

  • The SM-3 missile shortly after launch

  • Guided missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG-70)

Criticism of the launch

The Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow voiced the suspicion that the US really wanted to test and demonstrate the effectiveness of its defense system against ballistic missiles as an anti-satellite weapon . Another point of criticism expressed is the endangerment of other spacecraft by debris (see space debris ) from the satellite. The debris from the satellite remains in orbit for a certain period of time before it burns up in the earth's atmosphere. Therefore, the launch took place after the return of the space shuttle Atlantis from its mission STS-122 .

China saw a threat from debris that did not burn up in the atmosphere. The Chinese State Department therefore urged the US to provide China and the international community with information in order to be able to react in a timely manner.

Web links

Commons : USA 193 (NROL 21)  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b USA 193 in the Encyclopedia Astronautica , accessed on June 12, 2012 (English).
  2. ↑ USA 193 in the NSSDCA Master Catalog (English)
  3. ^ Jonathan's Space Report No. 575 , December 26, 2006
  4. ↑ a b Ted Molczan: TJM obs of 2008 February 11 UTC; USA 193 elements. satobs.org, February 11, 2008, accessed March 5, 2011 .
  5. ↑ Andrea Shalal-Esa: Expensive new US spy satellite not working: sources. Reuters, January 11, 2008, accessed June 12, 2012 .
  6. ↑ Amateur telescope image from the USA 193 satellite
  7. ↑ a b c d U.S. Spy Satellite, Power Gone, May Hit Earth. New York Times, January 27, 2008, accessed June 12, 2012 .
  8. ↑ Ted Molczan: USA 193 elements from observations. satobs.org, January 27, 2007, accessed March 5, 2011 .
  9. ↑ Satellite Could plummet to Earth. BBC, January 27, 2008, accessed June 12, 2012 .
  10. ↑ Paul Harris: US warns out-of-control spy satellite is plunging to Earth. The Observer, January 27, 2008, accessed June 12, 2012 .
  11. ↑ John Schwartz: Satellite Spotters Glimpse Secrets, and Tell Them. New York Times, February 5, 2008, accessed June 12, 2012 .
  12. ↑ Lolita C. Baldor: AF General: Spy Satellite Could Hit US. USA Today, January 30, 2008, accessed June 12, 2012 .
  13. ↑ a b Mike Mount: Officials: US to try to shoot down errant satellite. CNN, February 14, 2008, archived from the original on October 6, 2018 ; accessed on June 12, 2012 .
  14. ^ Kristin Roberts: Pentagon plans to shoot down disabled satellite. Reuters, February 14, 2008, accessed June 12, 2012 .
  15. ↑ Navy Missile Hits Decaying Satellite Over Pacific Ocean. American Forces Press Service, February 20, 2008, accessed June 12, 2012 .
  16. ↑ USA 193 - the last piece of rubble burned up. raumfahrer.net, October 21, 2008, accessed June 12, 2012 .
  17. ↑ China demands clarification via US satellites. Financial Times Deutschland, February 21, 2008.