Friday, January 12, 2007

Expensive new U.S. spy satellite USA193/NROL-21 not working: sources


Author Note: So much for the theory by some that these US government satellites get their USA ### designation when they become operational. This mission a subsequent failure would indicate that theory is not correct. I originally reported on this satellite in this blog on December 16, 2006.

This satellite was USA-193/NROL-21 launched on December 13, 2006, at 2100 UTC (1600 EST) from the Western Test Range, Vandenberg AFB, California (Launch complex/pad: SLC2W) It carries an International Designator: 2006-057A (SSC #: 29651).

Many thanks to Ted Molczan and the SEESAT-L newsgroup for this heads up.
Here is an excerpt from the Reuters news article that broke this story.
By Andrea Shalal-Esa - Exclusive
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. officials are unable to communicate with an expensive experimental U.S. spy satellite launched last year by the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), a defense official and another source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday.
Efforts are continuing to reestablish communication with the classified satellite, which cost hundreds of millions of dollars, but "the prognosis is not great at this point," said the defense official, who asked not to be identified.
"They have not yet declared it a total loss. There are still some additional steps that can be taken to restore communication," the official added, noting some satellites had been recovered in similar situations in the past.
The official said the problems were substantial and involved multiple systems, adding that U.S. officials were working to reestablish contact with the satellite because of the importance of the new technology it was meant to test and demonstrate.
The other source said the satellite had been described to him as "a comprehensive failure."