Showing posts with label Geostationary Orbit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Geostationary Orbit. Show all posts

Monday, January 24, 2011

NRO Shuttle Launched Stealth Geostationary Satellite Revealed

Ted Molczan recently completed research into the identity of an unknown GEO objects, 2000-653A /90007 - discovered by Ed Cannon in 1998. Ted concluded that it is a highly classified U.S. satellite called Prowler. The abstract and URL of the report on his findings follow.

Ted wrote on the SESSAT-L newsgroup: "Space Shuttle mission STS 38 is officially acknowledged to have deployed only a single payload, which is known to be a geosynchronous communications satellite, operated by the National Reconnaissance Office. It has since leaked out that STS 38 deployed a second payload: an optically
stealthy, geosynchronous satellite inspector, named Prowler.

"In 1998, hobbyists discovered a bright unknown GEO object, with optical and orbital characteristics of a satellite, which they call 2000-653A / 90007. By early 2010, independent GEO satellite observation networks had accounted for every single GEO satellite acknowledged to have been launched, yet 2000-653A remained unidentified. Analysis of its optical and orbital characteristics, and other relevant facts, reveals great consistency with the emerging Prowler story, resulting in a strong circumstantial case that 2000-653A is Prowler."

You can read Ted's complete report at http://satobs.org/seesat_ref/STS_38/Unknown_GEO_Object_2000-653A_-_90007_Identified_as_Prowler.pdf