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USA-234

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USA-234
Spacecraft properties

Mission type	Radar imaging
Operator	USNRO
COSPAR ID	2012-014A
SATCAT no.	38109


Spacecraft type	Topaz
Manufacturer	Lockheed Martin


Start of mission
Launch date	3 April 2012, 23:12:57 (2012-04-03UTC23:12:57Z) UTC
Rocket	Delta IV-M+(5,2) D359
Launch site	Vandenberg SLC-6
Contractor	ULA


Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth (retrograde)
Perigee altitude	1,107 kilometres (688 mi)^[1]
Apogee altitude	1,114 kilometres (692 mi)^[1]
Inclination	123.00 degrees^[1]
Period	107.35 minutes^[1]
Epoch	18 January 2015, 16:58:55 UTC^[1]

USA-234, also known as NRO Launch 25orNROL-25, is an American reconnaissance satellite, operated by the National Reconnaissance Office. Launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in 2012, it has been identified as the second radar imaging satellite to be launched as part of the Future Imagery Architecture programme.^[2]

USA-234 was launched by United Launch Alliance, using a Delta IV carrier rocket, making its first flight in the Medium+(5,2) configuration.^[3] The rocket was launched from Space Launch Complex 6 at Vandenberg, at 23:12:57 UTC (16:12:57 PDT) on 3 April 2012.^[4] It was identified as NRO Launch 25, and was the nineteenth flight of a Delta IV; the vehicle was designated Delta 359, and named Electra.^[5]

The satellite's orbit and mission are officially classified; however, it has been located by amateur observers in a 1,096 by 1,079 kilometres (681 by 670 mi) orbit, inclined at 123 degrees.^[6]

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Peat, Chris (18 January 2015). "USA 234 - Orbit". Heavens-Above. Retrieved 25 January 2015.

^ Krebs, Gunter. "FIA-Radar 1, 2, 3, 4". Gunter's Space Page.

^ Ray, Justin (28 March 2012). "Delta 4 poised for one last 'first flight' milestone". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 9 April 2012.

^ Ray, Justin (4 April 2012). "Delta 4 rocket successfully lofts surveillance satellite". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 9 April 2012.

^ Krebs, Gunter. "NROL launches". Gunter's Space Page.

^ Molczan, Ted (6 April 2012). "NROL-25: search TLE update". Seesat. Retrieved 9 April 2012.

v t e ← 2011 Orbital launches in 2012 2013 →
January	Ziyuan III-01, VesselSat-2 Fengyun 2-07 USA-233 Progress M-14M
February	Navid LARES, ALMASat-1, Xatcobeo, UniCubeSat-GG, ROBUSTA, e-st@r, Goliat, MaSat-1, PW-Sat SES-4 Compass-G5 MUOS-1
March	Edoardo Amaldi ATV Intelsat 22 Kosmos 2479 Apstar 7
April	USA-234 Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Progress M-15M YahSat-1B RISAT-1 Compass-M3, Compass-M4
May	USA-235 Tianhui 1B Yaogan 14, Tiantuo 1 Soyuz TMA-04M JCSAT-13, Vinasat-2 Kosmos 2480 Shizuku, Kompsat 3, SDS-4, Horyu 2 Nimiq 6 SpaceX COTS Demo Flight 2, New Frontier Fajr ChinaSat 2A Yaogan 15
June	Intelsat 19 NuSTAR Shenzhou 9 USA-236 / Quasar 18 USA-237 / Orion 8
July	EchoStar XVII, MSG-3 SES-5 Soyuz TMA-05M Kounotori 3 (Raiko, We-Wish, Niwaka, TechEdSat, F-1) Kanopus-V1, BelKA-2, Zond-PP, TET-1, exactView-1 Tianlian I-03 Gonets-M No.3, Gonets-M No.4, Kosmos 2481, MiR
August	Progress M-16M (Sfera-53) Intelsat 20, HYLAS 2 Telkom-3, Ekspress-MD2 Intelsat 21 RBSP-A, RBSP-B
September	SPOT 6, PROITERES, mRESINS USA-238, SMDC-ONE 1.1, SMDC-ONE 1.2, AeroCube 4, AeroCube 4A, AeroCube 4B, Aeneas, Re, CSSWE, CP5, CXBN, CINEMA 1 MetOp-B Compass-M5, Compass-M6 Astra 2F, GSAT-10 VRSS-1
October	USA-239 SpaceX CRS-1, Orbcomm-2 David, Sif Shijian 9-01, Shijian 9-02 Intelsat 23 Soyuz TMA-06M Compass G6 Progress M-17M
November	Luch 5B, Yamal-300K Eutelsat 21B, Star One C3 Meridian 6 Huanjing 1C EchoStar XVI Yaogan 16A, Yaogan 16B, Yaogan 16C ChinaSat 12
December	Pléiades-HR 1B Eutelsat 70B Yamal-402 USA-240 Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2 Göktürk-2 Soyuz TMA-07M Skynet 5D, Mexsat Bicentenario
Launches are separated by dots ( • ), payloads by commas ( , ), multiple names for the same satellite by slashes ( / ). Crewed flights are underlined. Launch failures are marked with the † sign. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are (enclosed in parentheses).

National Reconnaissance Office satellite launches

L-1
L-2
L-3
L-4
L-5
L-6
L-7
L-8
L-9
L-10
L-11
L-12
L-13
L-14
L-15
L-16
L-17
L-18
L-19
L-20
L-21
L-22
L-23
L-24
L-25
L-26
L-27
L-28
L-29
L-30
L-31
L-32
L-33
L-34
L-35
L-36
L-37
L-38
L-39
L-40
L-41
L-42
...
L-45
L-47
L-49
L-55
L-61
L-65
L-66
L-67
L-79

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