USA-231 or ORS-1 (Operationally Responsive Space-1) is an American

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 ...

which was launched in 2011 from

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

’s

Wallops Flight Facility Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) is a rocket launch site on Wallops Island on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, United States, just east of the Delmarva Peninsula and approximately north-northeast of Norfolk, VA, Norfolk. The facility is operated ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

by a

Minotaur I The Minotaur I, or just Minotaur is an American expendable launch system derived from the LGM-30 Minuteman, Minuteman II missile. It is used to launch Small satellite, small satellites for the Us government, US Government, and is a member of the M ...

launch vehicle. It is the first operational satellite of the

Operationally Responsive Space Office The Operationally Responsive Space Office (ORS Office) was a joint initiative of the United States Department of Defense (DoD). The "stand up" of the office took place 21 May 2007 at Kirtland Air Force Base. The ORS Office focuses on providing quic ...

. It is equipped with a SYERS 2A sensor. ORS-1 satellite is designed to provide orbital space imagery of Southwest Asia and to enhance battlespace awareness to operational field commanders. The ORS-1 will undergo a 30-day trial and adjustment check before the ORS Office turns over it operations to USAF's

1st Space Operations Squadron The 1st Space Operations Squadron (1 SOPS) is a United States Space Force unit responsible for space-based space domain awareness. Located at Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado, the squadron operates the Space Based Space Surveillance system, ...

Schriever AFB Schriever Space Force Base, previously Schriever Air Force Base, Falcon Air Force Base, and Falcon Air Force Station, is a base of the United States Space Force located approximately east of Peterson Space Force Base near Colorado Springs in E ...

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

SYERS

SYERS 2 is an optical and infrared camera with a 40 cm aperture and a field of view larger than 2 degrees. It uses Time Delay and Integration CCD sensors to compensate for

ground motion Ground motion is the movement of the Earth’s surface from earthquakes or explosions. Ground motion is produced by seismic waves that are generated by sudden slip on a fault or sudden pressure at the explosive source and travel through the Eart ...

, resulting in a resolution of 1m (

NIIRS The National Imagery Interpretability Rating Scale (NIIRS) is an American subjective scale used for rating the quality of imagery acquired from various types of imaging systems. The NIIRS defines different levels of image quality/interpretability ba ...

4) from a nominal 300 km orbit. SYERS 2 is supplied by the

Goodrich Corporation The Goodrich Corporation, formerly the B.F. Goodrich Company, was an American manufacturing company based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Founded in Akron, Ohio in 1870 as Goodrich, Tew & Co. by Benjamin Goodrich, Dr. Benjamin Franklin Go ...

. SYERS is also carried by the

Lockheed U-2 The Lockheed U-2, nicknamed the "''Dragon Lady''", is an American single-engine, high–altitude reconnaissance aircraft operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) since the 1950s. Designed for all- ...

reconnaissance aircraft A reconnaissance aircraft (colloquially, a spy plane) is a military aircraft designed or adapted to perform aerial reconnaissance with roles including collection of imagery intelligence (including using Aerial photography, photography), signals ...

References

External links

NASA web page on ORS 1

SYERS 2 Reconnaissance Sensor
(Goodrich acquired by UTS Aerospace, link now broken – tr
ISR systems
an

)
ORS-1 at eoPortal Directory
{{Orbital launches in 2011 Spacecraft launched in 2011 Spacecraft launched by Minotaur rockets USA satellites

SYERS

See also

References

External links