GSSAP 3 (USA 271) - a military reconnaissance satellite manufactured by Orbital ATK (based in the US state of Virginia) and launched by the American company United Launch Alliance (a joint venture of the aviation giants Boeing and Lockheed Martin ) at 07:52 Moscow time on August 19, 2016 from the cosmodrome on Cape Canaveral using a Delta IV launch vehicle simultaneously with another US Air Force reconnaissance satellite GSSAP 3 .
| Gssap 4 | |
|---|---|
| USA 271 | |
 GSSAP satellite sketch | |
| Manufacturer |  Orbital ATK |
| Operator | United launch alliance |
| Tasks | GSSAP satellite tracking of geosynchronous orbits |
| Satellite | Of the earth |
| Launch pad | US Air Force Base at Cape Canaveral |
| Launch vehicle | Delta iv |
| Launch | 08/19/2016, 04:52 UTC |
| NSSDC ID | 2016-052B |
| SCN | 41745 |
| Orbit height | 35.9 thousand km |
The planned orbit altitude of both satellites is 35.9 thousand km. The military program that uses these satellites is called the Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program ( abbreviated GSSAP , Eng. Geosynchronous Orbit Awareness Program). Its purpose is to monitor other spacecraft in geosynchronous orbits. Thus, the United States is going to monitor the satellites of other states. Earlier, in July 2014, two similar satellites were put into orbit using the same launch vehicle [1] .
Notes
- β The United States launched a Delta IV launch vehicle with two reconnaissance satellites . TASS (August 19, 2016). Date of treatment August 19, 2016.