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SURCAL

The Surveillance Calibration satellites were a series of radar calibration satellites for the Naval Space Surveillance radar system. They were launched in the 1960s.

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Jun 24, 2026
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Wikipedia ↗

The Surveillance Calibration (or SURCAL) satellites were a series of radar calibration satellites for the Naval Space Surveillance radar system. They were launched in the 1960s.

Background

SURCAL 5 source ↗

The SURCAL series of satellites were produced by the Naval Research Laboratory to act as test and calibration targets for the Naval Space Surveillance radar. The first SURCAL satellite was intended to remain attached to the launch vehicle1 and was a 5.5 inch long, 5.5 inch diameter cylinder.2 The other four SURCAL satellites were box-shaped with solar panels, a transponder, and antennas.3 They transmitted a 216 MHz signal on command.4

Launches

SURCAL 1 source ↗
SURCAL Satellites
Name COSPAR5 Launch date5 Rocket6 Mass (kg) Re-entry 7
SURCAL 1 N/A 24 January 1962 Thor-Able-Star1 98.5 kg8 Launch failure
SURCAL 2a 1962 B Tau 4 13 December 1962 Thor-Agena-D10 37 kg9 18 Jan 1966
SURCAL 3b 1962-021F 15 June 1963 Thor-Agena-D10 3 kg11 5 Jul 1963
SURCAL 4c 1965-016G 9 March 1965 Thor-Agena-D10 5 kg12 27 March 1981
SURCAL 5 1965-065K 9 March 1965 Thor-Able-Star10 In orbit
  1. Also listed as SURCAL 1A9
  2. Also listed as SURCAL 1B6
  3. Also listed as SURCAL 2B6

Other vehicles

Astronautix includes passive satellites such as the SURCAL 150B and SURCAL 160 target objects as part of the SURCAL program.6

References

References

  1. Krebs, Gunter D. "Surcal 1". Gunter's Space Page. Archived from the original on 1 May 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  2. Deac, Wilfred P (1 April 2008). "The Navy's Spy Missions in Space". U.S. Naval Institute. 22 (2). Archived from the original on 21 April 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  3. McDowell, Jonathan (1997). "Naval Research Laboratory Satellites 1960-1989" (PDF). Journal of the British Interplanetary Society. 50: 427–432. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 September 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  4. Olson, Richard D., ed. (August 1965). "NRL Satellites". Naval Research Reviews. 18 (8): cover.
  5. McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Report. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  6. Wade, Mark. "SURCAL". www.astronautix.com. Archived from the original on 5 September 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  7. McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Report. Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  8. "NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Details". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Archived from the original on 30 September 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  9. "NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Details". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  10. Krebs, Gunter D. "Surcal 2, 3, 4, 5". Gunter's Space Page. Archived from the original on 8 August 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  11. "NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Details". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Archived from the original on 2021-10-08. Retrieved 2021-10-08.
  12. "NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Details". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.