Rhyolite/Aquacade
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| It may reference highly speculative information unacknowledged by the government and defense contractors. Please maintain this article to conform with Wikipedia's standards for verifiability, notability, and future events. |
Rhyolite and later, Aquacade are reportedly code names for a class of SIGINT reconnaissance satellites operated by the National Reconnaissance Office for the United States Department of Defense. The program remains classified.
It is believed that at least four Rhyolite/Aquacade satellites were launched from Cape Canaveral between June 1970 and April 1978 on Atlas/Agena D launch vehicles. The satellites weigh approximately 700 kg and operated in geosynchronous orbits.
The name of the program, originally "Rhyolite", was changed to "Aquacade" in 1975 following the disclosure of the codeword "Rhyolite" in the trial of Christopher Boyce and Andrew Lee.
The Rhyolite/Aquacade satellites, made by TRW, are rumored to have an umbrella-like reflecting dish 20 meters in diameter. They were succeeded by the Vortex/Chalet series of satellites.
- Rhyolite 1 19 June 1970 (OPS 5346) (1970-046A)
- Rhyolite 2 6 March 1973 (OPS 6063) (1973-013A)
- Aquacade 3 11 December 1977 (OPS 4258) (1977-114A)
- Aquacade 4 7 April 1978 (OPS 8790) (1978-038A)
[edit] References
Richelson, Jeffrey T. ed. U.S. Military Uses of Space, 1945-1991 Vol 1, Guide. National Security Archive. 1991.
