Lacrosse or Onyx is a series of terrestrial

radar imaging Imaging radar is an application of radar which is used to create two-dimensional images, typically of landscapes. Imaging radar provides its light to illuminate an area on the ground and take a picture at radio wavelengths. It uses an antenna and ...

reconnaissance satellite A reconnaissance satellite or intelligence satellite (commonly, although unofficially, referred to as a spy satellite) is an Earth observation satellite or communications satellite deployed for military or intelligence applications. The ...

s operated by the United States

National Reconnaissance Office The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) is a member of the United States Intelligence Community and an agency of the United States Department of Defense which designs, builds, launches, and operates the reconnaissance satellites of the U.S. fe ...

(NRO). While not officially confirmed by the NRO or the

Government of the United States The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a f ...

prior to 2008, there was widespread evidence pointing to its existence, including one NASA website. In July 2008, the NRO itself declassified the existence of its

synthetic aperture radar Synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) is a form of radar that is used to create two-dimensional images or three-dimensional reconstructions of objects, such as landscapes. SAR uses the motion of the radar antenna over a target region to provide fine ...

(SAR) satellite constellation. According to former

Director of Central Intelligence The director of central intelligence (DCI) was the head of the American Central Intelligence Agency from 1946 to 2005, acting as the principal intelligence advisor to the president of the United States and the United States National Security C ...

Admiral Stansfield Turner, Lacrosse had its origins in 1950 (1980?) when a dispute between the

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

and the U.S. Air Force as to whether a combined optical/radar reconnaissance satellite (the CIA proposal) or a radar-only one (the USAF proposal) should be developed was resolved in favor of the USAF. Lacrosse uses

as its prime imaging instrument.Ups and Downs of Space Radars
/ref> It is able to see through cloud cover and also has some ability to penetrate soil, though there have been more powerful instruments deployed in space for this specific purpose. Early versions are believed to have used the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (

TDRSS The U.S. Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) is a network of American communications satellites (each called a tracking and data relay satellite, TDRS) and ground stations used by NASA for space communications. The system was des ...

) to relay imagery to a ground station at White Sands,

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex , Offi ...

. There are some indications that other relay satellites may now be available for use with Lacrosse. The name ''Lacrosse'' is used to refer to all variants, while ''Onyx'' is sometimes used to refer to the three newer units. Unit costs (including launch) in 1990 dollars are estimated to be in the range of US$0.5 to 1.0 billion.

Future

It had been anticipated that the Lacrosse

satellites A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioiso ...

would be replaced by the radar component of the Future Imagery Architecture (FIA). The severe program problems encountered by FIA in the early 2000s (decade) led to a plan to off-load radar reconnaissance to the Space Based Radar, later simplified to Space Radar, with initial launch anticipated around 2015.The Space Review: Radar love: the tortured history of American space radar programs
/ref> This program itself was axed by

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

late 2008. The launch of NROL-41 (USA 215) in September 2010 has all orbital characteristics of a radar remote sensing platform (see

FIA FIA is the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (English: International Automobile Federation), the world's governing body for all forms of motor sport where four or more wheels are used. Fia or FIA may also refer to: People * Fia Backs ...

) and could be the first of a Lacrosse follow-up program. Its orbit is a retrograde version of the "frozen" Lacrosse orbit,AEHF 1 : Updated elements
SeeSat-L, 24 September 2010 the choice for a

retrograde orbit Retrograde motion in astronomy is, in general, orbital or rotational motion of an object in the direction opposite the rotation of its primary, that is, the central object (right figure). It may also describe other motions such as precession ...

itself indicating a SAR role.SeeSat-L 1 Oct-10 : Reason for FIA Radar 1/USA 215 retrograde orbit
SeeSat-L, 1 October 2010.

Launches

Five Lacrosse spacecraft have been launched, with three currently in

orbit In celestial mechanics, an orbit is the curved trajectory of an object such as the trajectory of a planet around a star, or of a natural satellite around a planet, or of an artificial satellite around an object or position in space such as a ...

. The Lacrosse move in orbital planes either 68° or 57° inclined. These

orbital inclination Orbital inclination measures the tilt of an object's orbit around a celestial body. It is expressed as the angle between a reference plane and the orbital plane or axis of direction of the orbiting object. For a satellite orbiting the Earth ...

s of 68° and 57°, combined with their altitude give the satellites a complete view of the

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surface ...

's surface, including the north and south poles. Lacrosse 5 appears to differ somewhat from the previous four satellites. As determined by amateur observers, there are subtle differences in its orbit, and its color is somewhat whiter than the distinct red-orange tint of the earlier ones. Most strikingly, it sometimes fades from brightness to invisibility within the space of a few seconds while still in full sunlight. (Amateur observers call this rapid fade its "disappearing trick", although it appears to be an accidental phenomenon due to the design of the craft and not a reconnaissance feature.)

In pop culture

The story of the 1994 Andy Sidaris film '' The Dallas Connection'' involves a series of codes necessary to control a Lacrosse reconnaissance satellite. The plot of the 2018 Hindi movie '' Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran'' involves a Lacrosse satellite as the US intelligence eye in the sky. File:Lacrosse3 19032011 1.jpg, The USA-133 traversing Canis Minor as seen from Leiden, the Netherlands, on 19 March 2011. File:Lacrosse5 brightprofile.jpg, The Lacrosse 5 (2005-016A) brightness profile showing the sudden dip in brightness known as the "disappearance trick".

References

* Jeffrey T. Richelson, ''America's Secret Eyes in Space'', New York, Harper & Row, 1990 * Stansfield Turner, ''Burn Before Reading'', New York, Hyperion, 2005 * "Spy Satellites: Entering a New Era", ''Science'', 24 March 1989

External links

Lacrosse at Encyclopedia Astronautica

Lacrosse 2 orbit at Heavens Above

Lacrosse 3 orbit at Heavens Above

Lacrosse 4 orbit at Heavens Above

Lacrosse 5 orbit at Heavens Above

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lacrosse (Satellite) Lockheed Martin satellites and probes Military space program of the United States National Reconnaissance Office satellites Synthetic aperture radar satellites Satellite series Military equipment introduced in the 1980s

Future

Launches

In pop culture

See also

References

External links