https://arstechnica.com/space/2023/08/us-spy-satellite-agency-isnt-so-silent-about-new-silent-barker-mission/
This will be the first launch for ULA's Atlas V rocket in nearly 10 months.
"We’re trying to be more transparent and share more information," said Chris Scolese, director of the National Reconnaissance Office, in a roundtable with reporters Monday. As more countries and companies launch missions into space, Scolese said the space environment is becoming more congested, contested, and competitive.
"It’s also becoming easier and easier to see what’s going up there," Scolese said. "We want to let people know, to some extent, what our capabilities are."
The NRO has multiple satellites—officials won't say exactly how many—mounted on top of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for liftoff at 8:34 am EDT (12:34 UTC) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Their destination is geosynchronous orbit, a belt of satellites positioned more than 22,000 miles (nearly 36,000 kilometers) over the equator.
In geosynchronous orbit, a spacecraft completes one lap around Earth at the same rate as the planet's rotation, giving a satellite a constant view of the same geographic region. That makes geosynchronous orbit a popular location for communications satellites, weather observatories, and platforms to detect the first sign of a missile attack.
The US Space Force and the NRO have numerous satellites in geosynchronous orbit, and the mission poised for liftoff Tuesday will help track potential threats to those multibillion-dollar assets.
“Geosynchronous orbit is far away," Scolese said. "Ground-based systems have a harder time seeing what’s up there. This provides us the capability of being in this same orbit, so that we’re closer to what’s happening up there. It will not be looking at the ground, it will be
This is the best summary I could come up with:
8:45 pm EDT update: The launch of an Atlas V rocket with the Silent Barker mission has been postponed from Tuesday due to Tropical Storm Idalia.
Original post: The National Reconnaissance Office doesn't typically talk about any of its missions, but in an unusual break with precedent, the button-down spy satellite agency is taking a different tack with its next launch Tuesday from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The NRO has multiple satellites—officials won't say exactly how many—mounted on top of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for liftoff at 8:34 am EDT (12:34 UTC) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
In geosynchronous orbit, a spacecraft completes one lap around Earth at the same rate as the planet's rotation, giving a satellite a constant view of the same geographic region.
The US Space Force and the NRO have numerous satellites in geosynchronous orbit, and the mission poised for liftoff Tuesday will help track potential threats to those multibillion-dollar assets.
Placing the Silent Barker sensors closer to their observational targets will give the NRO and the Space Force a new set of eyes in geosynchronous orbit.
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