Status
Success
Orion 4 (USA-139) (NROL-6)
Sat May 09, 1998 01:38 UTC
Rocket
Mission Details
Orion 4 (USA-139) (NROL-6)
The Orion 3 and 4 (RIO 3, 4) satellites, which are generally known as 'Advanced Orion' or 'Mentor', are geostationary signals intelligence satellites, which replaced the Magnum / Orion series. Their purpose is to intercept missile telemetry from Russia and China and the COMINT capability of the Mercury satellites was merged into this series. These satellites are launched under the designation Mission 7600.
Orion 4 (USA-139) (NROL-6)
The Orion 3 and 4 (RIO 3, 4) satellites, which are generally known as 'Advanced Orion' or 'Mentor', are geostationary signals intelligence satellites, which replaced the Magnum / Orion series. Their purpose is to intercept missile telemetry from Russia and China and the COMINT capability of the Mercury satellites was merged into this series. These satellites are launched under the designation Mission 7600.