USA-276, also known as NROL-76, is a classified spacecraft operated by the National Reconnaissance Office.[3] Due to being classified, very little information is known about the satellite.[4]

USA-276
NamesUSA-276
NROL-76
Mission typeRadar imaging / Technology demonstration
OperatorNational Reconnaissance Office
COSPAR ID2017-022A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.42689Edit this on Wikidata
Spacecraft properties
ManufacturerBell Aerospace
Start of mission
Launch dateMay 1, 2017, 7:15 am EST[1]
RocketFalcon 9 Full Thrust
Launch siteLaunch Pad 39A, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, United States
ContractorSpaceX
Orbital parameters
RegimeLow Earth Orbit[2]
Inclination~50°[2]
NROL-76 (USA-276) Mission Patch

Background

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USA-276 was launched onboard Falcon 9 NROL-76.[1] The Falcon 9 upper stage that carried USA-276 to its orbit made several close flybys of the ISS.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b Graham, William (2017), SpaceX Falcon 9 launches first NRO mission with NROL-76, NASA Spaceflight, retrieved January 16, 2024
  2. ^ a b Krebs, Gunter D. (2023), USA 276 (NROL 76), Gunter Space Page, retrieved January 16, 2024
  3. ^ Bell, E. (2022), USA 276, NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive, retrieved January 16, 2024
  4. ^ a b Spaceflight101 (2017), Secret NROL-76 Satellite crosses Paths with ISS – Coincidence or Deliberate?, Spaceflight101.com, retrieved January 16, 2024{{citation}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)