Titan 404B | NROL-9

Launch Provider & Rocket

• Provider: United States Air Force (Government)
• Rocket: Titan 404B — Titan family

Mission

This satellite is suspected to be a stealthy electro-optical reconnaissance satellite. The program name for developing an stealth IMINT capability is reportedly "Misty". Hobbyist satellite observers continue to track an object from that launch in a 2700 km × 3100 km, 63.4° orbit, but detailed orbital analysis reveals significant solar radiation pressure perturbations, from an area to mass ratio of about 0.1 m2/kg, 10 to 20 times that of a payload, and more akin to debris or a decoy, can be deduced. It appears to be no more than 5 to 10 m across, and only a few hundred kilograms in mass. If USA 144 is Misty-2, then it is likely to be in a 700 to 800 km, quasi 65° orbit. These orbits are low-drag, so orbit maintenance manoeuvres are not required.

• Type: Government/Top Secret
• Orbit: Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

Launch Site

• Pad: Space Launch Complex 4E
• Location: Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
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