1994-026A
A heavy payload was launched into a JUMPSEAT-type orbit in May 1994 by a Titan 4 Centaur rocket. The orbit was determined when amateur astronomers in Europe observed the Centaur stage venting high over western Canada on its ascent to apogee, and reported a possible comet discovery.
It is tentatively assumed that this spacecraft is a signals intelligence satellite, which I refer to as ADVANCED JUMPSEAT because of its orbit. A 1995 report in the Baltimore Sun identified the codename for the spacecraft as TRUMPET. According to the FAS the contractor is Hughes, and the spacecraft consists of a bus with a deployable truss making a 100-meter diameter antenna. However other sources report that Boeing/Seattle was the prime contractor. The vehicle monitors thousands of communications simultaneously, and a major target is the Russian nuclear submarine fleet.
The satellite carries an Aerospace Corp. space physics secondary payload, referred to as HEO 94-026.
| USA 103 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 May 3 | 1555:01 | Launch by Titan 4 Centaur | CC LC41 |
| SRM sep | |||
| 1557 | Stage 1 Tig (T+1:55, burn 3:08) | ||
| 1559 | Fairing sep (T+3:56) | ||
| 1600 | Stage 2 Tig (burn 5 min, suborbital) | ||
| 1603? | Stage 2 MECO | ||
| Stage 2 sep 195 km 6.434 Vi? | |||
| 1604 | Centaur MES1 (T+9:23, burn 4:30) | ||
| 1609 | Centaur MECO1, parking orbit | 181? x 194? x 55 | |
| 518 x 537 x 55.1 (UN) | |||
| 1655? | Centaur MES2 | ||
| Centaur MECO2 | 207 x 32387 x 55.0? | ||
| 1745? | Centaur MES3 over equator? | ||
| Centaur MECO3 | 1000? x 39400? x 63.4 | ||
| Centaur sep | 1323 x 39035 x 64.4 | ||
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