In 1955-1956, spy satellites began to be actively developed in the USSR and the USA. In the USA it was a series of Korona devices, and in the USSR a series of Zenit devices. First-generation space scouts (American Corona and Soviet Zenith) took photographs, and then released containers with the captured photographic film, which descended to the ground. Corona capsules were picked up in the air during a parachute descent. Later spacecraft were equipped with photo television systems and transmitted images using encrypted radio signals.
On March 16, 1955, the United States Air Force formally commissioned the development of an advanced reconnaissance satellite to provide continuous surveillance of 'preselected areas of the Earth' to determine a potential adversary's readiness for war.
On February 28, 1959, the first photographic reconnaissance satellite created under the CORONA program (open name Discoverer) was launched in the United States. He was supposed to conduct reconnaissance primarily over the USSR and China. The photographs taken by his equipment, developed by Itek, returned to Earth in a descent capsule. The reconnaissance equipment was first sent into space in the summer of 1959 on the fourth device in the series, and the first successful return of the capsule with the film was taken from the Discoverer 14 satellite in August 1960.
CORONA is an American defense space program. It was developed by the CIA Science Office with the support of the US Air Force. It was intended to track the ground targets of a potential enemy, mainly the USSR and the PRC. It operated from June 1959 to May 1972.
Within the framework of the program, satellites of the following models were launched: KH-1, KH-2, KH-3, KH-4, KH-4A and KH-4B (from the English KeyHole - keyhole). The satellites were equipped with long-focus wide-angle cameras and other observation devices. A total of 144 satellites were launched under the CORONA program, 102 of which made useful images.
For the purposes of misinformation, the first Key hole satellites were reported as part of the peaceful space program Discoverer (literally "Explorer", "discoverer"). Since February 1962, the Corona program has become highly classified and has ceased to hide under the name Discoverer. Discoverer-2, without photographic equipment, fell on Svalbard and, as it is assumed in the United States, was most likely picked up by a Soviet search group.
The last stage of the Agena rocket with the KH-1 satellite launched under the name Discoverer-4.
For the first time the name "Key Hole" occurs in 1962 for the KH-4, later it was retrospectively named for the entire series of satellites launched by that year. The satellites of the KN-1 series are the first satellites for military purposes and specific reconnaissance. Images from the KH-5 Argon captured Antarctica from space for the first time.
A total of 144 satellites were launched, 102 descent capsules returned with acceptable photographs. The last satellite launch under the Corona program was on May 25, 1972. The project was stopped due to the discovery of a Soviet submarine waiting in the area of splashdown of capsules with photographic film in the Pacific Ocean. The most successful period of filming was 1966-1971, when 32 successful launches were carried out with the return of suitable photographic film.
Diagram showing the process of separating the descent vehicle from the satellite, entering the atmosphere and picking up the parachuted capsule by a special aircraft.
Of all the launches of the KN-1 series, only one was completely successful. The capsule of the Discoverer-14 satellite with satisfactory quality photographs was picked up by the plane and delivered to its destination.
Discoveryr 4's launch on February 28, 1959 was unsuccessful. Due to insufficient acceleration of the 2nd stage, the satellite was unable to reach orbit.
Discoverer 5 was successfully launched on August 13, 1959. On August 14, the descent capsule was separated from the vehicle. With the help of a braking engine, it was lowered over the Pacific Ocean. However, no radio beacon signals were received from the capsule, and it was not possible to find it.
Discoverer 6 was successfully launched by a Tor-Agen rocket from Vandenberg Base on August 19, 1959. A failure of the reentry capsule brake motor caused its loss.
Discoverer 7 was successfully launched by a Tor-Agen rocket from Vandenberg Base on November 7, 1959. The power source could not provide the normal operation of the control and stabilization system, and the device began to somersault in orbit. It was not possible to separate the descent capsule.
Discoverer-8 was successfully launched by a Tor-Agen rocket from Vandenberg Base on November 20, 1959. After 15 orbits around the Earth, the descent capsule was separated. However, during the descent, the parachute did not open, the capsule landed outside the planned descent zone, and it was not possible to find it.
Discoveryr-10 was launched unsuccessfully. Failure of the control system of the launch vehicle.
Discoverer 11 was designed to assess how quickly the USSR produces long-range bombers and ballistic missiles, as well as their deployment locations. Discoveryr-11 was launched successfully. However, it was not possible to return the capsule with the filmed film to Earth due to a failure of the altitude control system.
Capturing the Discoverer 14 descent capsule by the C-119 Flying Boxer special aircraft.
The first satellite of the CORONA KH-2 series, Discoverer-16 (CORONA 9011), was launched on October 26, 1960 at 20:26 UTC. The launch ended with the crash of the launch vehicle. The next satellites of the KH-2 CORONA series were Discoverer-18, Discoverer-25 and Discoverer-26, which successfully completed their missions in 1960-1961, as well as Discoverer-17, Discoverer-22 and Discoverer 28, whose missions were also unsuccessful.
Characteristics of satellites of the KN-2 series:
The mass of the apparatus is about 750 kg, Film - 70 mm, The length of the film in the cassette is 9600 meters, The focal length of the lens is about 60 cm.
Spy satellites of the CORONA series (KH-1, KH-2, KH-3, KH-4) have radically improved the US understanding of the activities and potential of the USSR and other states. Perhaps the first success came 18 months after the first successful launch of the satellite under the CORONA program. The collected photographic material allowed the Americans to allay the fear of falling behind in the rocket race. If earlier there were estimates about the appearance of hundreds of Soviet ICBMs by 1962, then by September 1961 the number of missiles was estimated only from 25 to 50 units. By June 1964, CORONA satellites had photographed all 25 Soviet ICBM complexes. Images obtained from CORONA satellites also allowed the Americans to catalog Soviet air and missile defense positions, nuclear facilities, submarine bases, tactical ballistic missiles, and an air base. The same applies to military installations in China, Eastern Europe and other countries. Satellite imagery also helped track the preparation and course of military conflicts, such as the 1967 seven-day war, as well as monitor the USSR's compliance with arms limitation and reduction treaties.
KH-5 - a series of satellites "Key Hole" designed for low-resolution imaging in addition to other reconnaissance satellites for creating cartographic products
KH-6 Lanyard (English Lanyard - cord, strap) - a series of short-lived satellite imagery, created in the United States from March to July 1963. The first launches were planned to be used to survey the surface area near Tallinn. In 1963, American intelligence assumed that Soviet anti-missiles could be deployed there.
The spacecraft weight is 1500 kg. The satellite was equipped with a camera with a lens with a focal length of 1.67 meters and a resolution of 1.8 meters on the ground. There were three launches in total, one of them was unsuccessful, the other was without film and only one was successful. The film was shot on 127mm (5-inch) film. The capsule contained 6850 meters of film, 910 frames were filmed.
KH-7 - a series of satellites "Key Hole", with a very high (for its time) resolution. Intended for filming especially important objects on the territory of the USSR and China. Satellites of this type were launched from July 1963 to June 1967. All 38 KH-7 satellites were launched from Vandenberg airbase, 30 from below returned with satisfactory quality photographs.
Initially, the terrain resolution was 1.2 meters, but was improved to 0.6 meters in 1966.
KH-8 (also - Gambit-3) is a series of American reconnaissance satellites for detailed optical photographic reconnaissance. Another name used is the Low Altitude Surveillance Platform. The series has become one of the longest-lived US space programs. From July 1966 to April 1984, 54 launches took place. For photographing the Earth's surface, photographic film was used, the filmed material was returned to the ground in special containers. After entering the dense layers of the atmosphere, the parachute had to open to ensure a soft landing. According to official reports, the actually achieved resolution of the apparatus was no worse than half a meter. The device weighing 3 tons was produced by the Lockheed campaign and was launched into space by the Titan 3 launch vehicle from the Vandenberg cosmodrome. The equipment for the shooting was produced by the A&O division of the Eastman Kodak campaign. The name "Gambit" was also used to refer to the predecessor of the KH-8, the KH-7.
KN-8 three-ton spy satellite. The image was declassified in September 2011.
The film used in the Gambit satellites was produced by the Eastman-Kodak campaign. Subsequently, the "space" film has developed into a whole family of successfully used photographic materials with high performance. The first was Type 3404 film, with a resolution of 50 lines by 100 lines per square millimeter. This was followed by several modifications with high resolution "Type 1414" and "SO-217". A series of films made with the use of fine grains from silver halides also appeared. By successively reducing the size of the latter from 1.550 arngstrom in "SO-315" to 1200 arngstrom in "SO-312" and to 900 angstrom in model "SO-409", the company managed to achieve high characteristics in terms of resolution and film uniformity. The latter is important for the consistency of the quality of the resulting image.
Under ideal conditions, the Gambit scouts, according to official data, were able to distinguish objects from 28 to 56 cm on the earth's surface (when using the Type 3404 film) and even 5-10 cm (when using the more advanced Type 3409 film with a resolution of 320 by 630 lines per sq. mm). In reality, ideal conditions are very rare. A large number of factors affect the quality of imagery from space. Inhomogeneities in the atmosphere caused, for example, by surface heating (haze effect) and industrial smog and dust in the near-surface layer raised by the wind, and the angle of incidence of sunlight and, of course, too high an orbital altitude, can also seriously degrade the quality. Perhaps that is why the actual resolution of the images obtained by the satellites of the KH-8 series is still classified (2012).
Image of the Soviet "lunar" N-1 rocket received by the KN-8 on September 19, 1968.
The KH-8 series devices had the ability to photograph satellites in orbit. This capability was developed to monitor the activities of Soviet satellites, but was first used to survey the damaged Skylab station in 1973.
The KH-9 program was conceived in the early 1960s as a replacement for the CORONA tracking satellites. It was intended for tracking large areas of the earth's surface with a medium-resolution camera. The KH-9s were equipped with two main cameras, and some missions were also equipped with a mapping camera. The film from the cameras was loaded into the capsules of the reentry vehicles and sent to Earth, where they were intercepted in the air by an aircraft. Most missions had four re-entry vehicles. The fifth capsule was on missions that had a map camera.
The KH-9 Hexagon, also known as the Big Bird, is a series of photographic reconnaissance satellites launched by the United States between 1971 and 1986.
Of the twenty launches made by the United States Air Force, all but one were successful. The captured photographic film for processing and analysis from the satellite was sent back to Earth in returnable capsules by parachute to the Pacific Ocean, where they were picked up by military C-130 aircraft with the help of special hooks. The best resolution of the main cameras achieved was 0.6 meters.
In September 2011, materials about the Hexagon spy satellite project were declassified, and for one day one of the spacecraft (SC) was displayed for everyone.
The Big Bird capsule is returning home.
KN-10 Dorian - Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) - orbital station, part of the US Department of Defense manned flights program. Astronauts at the station were supposed to engage in reconnaissance activities and be able to remove from orbit or destroy satellites if necessary. Work on it was discontinued in 1969, as the new strategy of the Ministry of Defense provided for the use of unmanned aerial vehicles for the needs of reconnaissance.
In the 1970s, Almaz stations, similar in purpose, were launched in the USSR.
It was planned that the MOL station would be delivered into orbit by a Titan IIIC launch vehicle along with the Gemini B spacecraft, which was to carry a crew of two military astronauts. Astronauts would conduct observations and experiments for 30 days, then leave the station. MOL was designed to work with only one crew.
Image of the Gemini B lander leaving MOL.
Under the program of the manned orbital laboratory, one test launch was made on November 3, 1966. The tests used the MOL mockup and the Gemini 2 spacecraft, which was reused after its first 18-minute suborbital flight in 1965. The launch was carried out using a Titan IIIC launch vehicle from the LC-40 launch pad at the US Air Force Base at Cape Canaveral.
The first manned flight, after numerous delays, was scheduled for December 1970, but President Nixon canceled the MOL program due to delays in work, over-budgeting, and also because the program was outdated, as reconnaissance satellites could perform most of the tasks assigned to it. …
KH-11 KENNAN, also known as 1010 and Crystal and commonly referred to as Key Hole, was a type of reconnaissance satellite that was launched by the US National Space Intelligence Agency from 1976 to 1990. Manufactured by Lockheed Corporation in Sunnyvale, California, the KH-11 was the first American spy satellite to use an electro-optical digital camera and transmit the resulting images almost immediately after being photographed.
Nine KH-11 satellites were launched between 1976 and 1990 aboard Titan IIID and -34D launch vehicles, with one emergency launch. The KH-11 apparatus replaced the photographic satellites KH-9 Hexagon, the last of which was lost in the explosion of the launch vehicle in 1986. The KH-11s are believed to resemble the Hubble Space Telescope in size and shape, as they were sent into space in identical containers. In addition, NASA, describing the history of the Hubble telescope, in describing the reasons for the transition from a 3-meter main mirror to a 2.4-meter one, states: manufacturing technology designed for military spy satellites."
Provided that a 2.4m mirror is placed on the KH-11, its theoretical resolution in the absence of atmospheric distortion and 50% frequency-contrast response will be approximately 15 cm. The working resolution will be worse due to the influence of the atmosphere. KH-11 versions differ in weight from 13,000 to 13,500 kg. The estimated length of the satellites is 19.5 meters and their diameter is 3 meters. The data was transmitted via the Satellite Data System operated by the US military.
In 1978, a young CIA officer, William Campiles, sold the USSR for $ 3,000 a technical manual describing the design and operation of the KH-11. Campiles was sentenced to 40 years in prison for espionage (was released after 18 years in prison).
