Terrorism - Satellite Reconnaissance

Military Reconnaissance Satellites (IMINT) Last Updated Oct. 16, 2001 View Standard Version When detailed report s of geographical areas, military installations and activities, troop positions , or other picture-based intellig ence are required, policy-makers and analysts turn to data provided by I MINT (Image Intelli gence) satellites. Operating in low , near-polar orbits at an altitude of bet ween 500 and 3,000 kilometers, and maintaining the same orbit around the Earth, they make about 14 revolutions per day . IMINT satellites use either photo-optic, electro-optic infrared, or rada r technology to scan a new swath of ground with each orbit. VARIETIES OF IMINT SATELLITES Photo-optic. An image is recorded on film, after which it is retrieved, processed, a nd analyzed. A one to three day time lag from the time the data is requested and the time the image can be used makes photo-optic satellites more useful for strategic planning than for tactical combat situations. They cannot penetrate clouds or darkness and can be fooled by camouflage. EO-IR—Electro-optical/Infra-red . These satellites provide full-spectrum photographic imagery , including infra-red. Digi tal enhance ment provides the opportunity to further sharpen and define images produced by these satellites. IR sensors can spot heat sources at night but cannot spot vehicles or aircraft on the ground once their engines are cold. They are also unable to penetrate clouds and darkness and are only sli ghtly less li kely to be fooled by c amouflage. IR sensors can also be fooled by dummy heat sources and can be blocked to some degree by special IR-netting. Radar Imaging. An image is created by high-energy radar pulses reflected off the Earth’s surface. Several types of radar emissions are produced, some of which are combined on the same satellite. Usi ng Synthetic Aperture Radar tec hnology , now a mature technique used to genera te radar images in fine detail, illumination i s generated in the form of radar pulses, allowi ng imaging at any time of day or night. Long wavelengths allow penetration of cloud cover and imagery even in dusty conditions. Doppler-radar technology is used to spot movement of ships and aircraft, and GMTI radar is useful for detect ing ground movement of vehicles. RORSA T- type satellites are primarily used over oceanic regions to search for shipping. Resolution is not as good as photo-optic or E-O sate llites, however, and analyzing its imagery requires a higher level of ski ll. Images can also be subject to "noise" due to “backscatter” (a form electronic static) caused by certain unfavorable conditions such as rough seas or nearby large, metalli c surfaces. Radar satellites are also susceptible to active jamming . AMERICAN SATELLITE CAPABILITIES The United States reportedly maintains at least six newer reconnaissance satellites that have bee n placed in orbit during a series of launches throughout the last deca de, including: Key Hole (KH) Satellites Key Hole-class satellites return images to Earth via an electronic link. The most advanced of these satellites has a resolution of around 10-15 centimeters, but cannot see through clouds, nor do they have “dwell capability” (the ability to maintain orbit over a specific location). Key Hole satellites clo sely resemble the Hubble Space Teles cope, yet their optical and infrared sensors are much different. A series of satellites that costs around $1. 5 billi on, Key Hole e nables identification of objects 6 to 8.5 inches across, although it is speculated that the actual resolution may even be as good as 4 inches. At least three versions of the KH-11 and KH-12, the most advanced in the Key Hole series, have been launched since 1992. KH-11 satellites have a higher orbit than their predece ssors—operating wi th perigees (the point in the orbit closest to the Earth) of about 150 miles and apogees (the point in the orbit furthest from the Earth) of about 600 miles. They have infrared imagery capability , including a thermal infrared imagery capa bili ty, and thus allow imagery in darkness. They also carry the Improved C RYST AL Metric System (ICMS), which codes returned imagery, making it easier to map and providing detail s such as re lative dimensions of objects on the ground. These advanced satellites can carry more fuel than the original model s. Their life span may even be eight years. Declassifi ed KH-11 photographs that ha ve been actively used in policy formulation and briefings include photographs of the Zhawar Kili Base Camp in Afghanistan, which housed training facilities for Osama bin Laden’s terrorist organization. Then-Secretary of Defense William Cohen and Gen. Henry R. Shelton used KH-11 material to brief reporters on t he U.S. cruise missi le attack on t he facility in 1998. During the December 1998 Operation Desert Fox, KH-11 photographs were sent to the National Imagery and Mapping Agency, where interpreters assessed damage caused by U.S. air strikes. A comprehensive list of KH satellite launches is available at http://users.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/safeperl/daveh/satellite. The ninth and final KH-11 satelli te was launched in 1988. The KH-12 program was begun soon after. KH12 (Improved Crystal) The distingui shing dif ference between the KH-12 and its predecessor is the additional amount of propellant—the fuel-carrying capacity of the KH-12 is up to 7 tons of fuel. This contributes to a 4-ton increase in total weig ht over the KH-11 and also prolongs the opera ting life of the sate lli te and provides unique maneuver capability. The KH-12 can adjust its orbit to provi de coverage of area s that are of particular interest, and can maneuver to avoid anti-satellite interceptors — powered by a large rocket engine attached to a frame that also resembles the Hubble Space Telescope. About 4.5 meters in diameter, it i s over 15 meters long and can be serviced, refueled, and launche d by the Shuttle, although so far all have been launched by the Titan 3 expendable launch ve hicle. This satelli te has sophisticated optics tha t digitally enhance images before relaying them to Earth, and can provide full-spectrum IMINT data in “r eal time” (virtually Terrorism - Sat ellite Reconnaissance http://www.cdi.org/terrorism/satellites-pr.cf 1 su r 3 17/01/2012 00:44

Terrorism - Satellite Reconnaissance

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