In the secretive world of space spy satellites, few details are publicly available—something groups like the U.S. Space Force, the National Reconnaissance Office, the CIA, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency prefer.
There is a fleet of secret spacecraft tasked with a variety of vigilant missions. Some intercept radio waves or detect missile launches. Others provide close-up views of selected areas using sharp optical systems or scan the Earth with powerful radar technology.
These high-altitude satellites make tempting targets for amateur space photographers. That’s the case for space-watching veteran Felix Schoffbanker in Upper Austria. “My images have definitely revealed some things that were previously unknown, or just speculation,” Schoffbanker told Space.com.
Over the past few months, Schoffbanker has been able to capture some of the secret spy satellites using his 14-inch Dobsonian telescope, which is optimized for tracking and imaging satellites from his home. By sifting through the images, he shares his findings and what they suggest.
For example, Schoffbanker highlighted a new generation of U.S. reconnaissance satellites equipped with optical and radar imaging technologies, launched into space for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), which designs, launches and operates spy satellites on behalf of the U.S. federal government.
Captured by camera
(Future Imagery Architecture) FIA-Radars, also known as Topaz, are five American spy satellites carrying synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging technology. This technology can see through clouds and operates day and night. It is the successor to the Lacrosse/Onyx series of SAR satellites.
“From my images, I concluded that these satellites have a parabolic mesh antenna about 12 meters long. [39 feet] 2 solar panels diameter about 10 meters long [33 feet] “From her wings,” Schoffbanker points out.
“There is also another bright object between the solar panels that I interpret as an up-and-down antenna, although this could be something else as well,” he added.
These research satellites produce images by sending out a large number of pulses and then applying computer processing to turn the returning signals into an image, Schoffbanker said.
“The FAA radar antennas can be pointed either to the left or to the right of the orbit. They have detected these satellites 28 times so far,” Schoffbanker said. “Only six times was the antenna pointed to the left and 22 times to the right.”
Electro-optical satellites
Schoffbanker also used the KH-11 Kennen electro-optical satellites, first introduced in 1976, with his equipment. “It’s kind of like the Hubble Space Telescope, but designed to look at Earth, rather than study space,” he said.
There are currently four of them in orbit, and they belong to three different generations of this type of secret satellite.
“The oldest rocket currently out there was launched in 2005. It’s a third-generation KH-11 called USA 186,” Schoffbanker said. “The next two are called USA 224 and USA 245, fourth-generation rockets from 2011 and 2013. The newest rocket is a fifth-generation spacecraft from 2021 called USA 314.”
Mirror is important
From his collection of KH-11 photos, he concluded that it was about 36 feet (11 meters) long.
“The size of the mirror seems to change with the generations,” Schoffbanker suggests. “I measured that by looking at the diameter of the optical tube assembly. The tube is usually not much larger than the mirror in it,” he advises.
By measuring these sizes, Schoffbanker was able to determine that the oldest current satellite, the KH-11 (USA 186, third generation), has an approximate mirror size of 2.4 meters, or about 8 feet. Previous generations are known to have used a mirror of this size, he said.
For the fourth generation (USA 224, USA 245), the satellite observer measured the mirror diameter at about 3 meters, or about 10 feet. “I’m not sure how big the mirror is on USA 314 because I haven’t gotten many good pictures of it yet,” Schoffbanker said.
A different kind of design
Another spacecraft that caught Schoffbanker’s attention was of an unknown type.
“In July, I was able to get a glimpse of a satellite called USA 290 that I suspect may be another KH-11. But my image shows a different type of design, which does not look like a typical KH-11. My image shows a large rectangular panel about 5 meters long. Another fact that supports my idea is the strange orbit this satellite is in. KH-11 is launched in sun-synchronous orbits. USA 290 was not,” Schoffbanker notes.
Sun-synchronous orbits make sense for an optical imaging mission like KH-11, because it passes over an area at the same time each day.
Some possibilities
There are a few possibilities as to what this painting could be, Schoffbanker said.
One idea is to use a radiator as a cooling system for an infrared imaging system. Or it might be possible to use a phased array antenna for synthetic aperture radar imaging or signals intelligence.
“It could be a solar panel, though I think that’s less likely because the panel appears to be attached to the rest of the structure. So tracking the sun would require moving the entire satellite,” Schoffbanker added.
It’s safe to say
Given his experience and equipment observing the sky, are there any concerns about revealing the secrets of the appearance and operation of top-secret spacecraft?
“I don’t think most countries would be concerned about amateurs like me photographing their spacecraft, because most major countries have their own observatories dedicated to this type of imaging,” Schoffbanker says. “And given the extra budget available for this, it’s safe to say that they have much higher quality images than I can achieve.”
More satellite search images from Schöfbänker Available on his profile on the astrophotography site Astrobin..
“Devoted student. Bacon advocate. Beer scholar. Troublemaker. Falls down a lot. Typical coffee enthusiast.”