NROL-13 (Intruder 5A & 5B) Mission

Mission patch NROL-13 (Intruder 5A & 5B) Patch

Launch Status

Success

Date & Time

8 Sep 2001, 3:25pm

Pad

Space Launch Complex 3E

Launch Service Provider

Vehicle

Mission

NROL-13 (Intruder 5A & 5B)

Mission Type

Government/Top Secret

Destination

Low Earth Orbit

NOSS-3 (Naval Ocean Surveillance System), which is likely not the official designation, is the third generation of NOSS satellites, which are low orbit SIGINT satellites. In 2013, the designation Intruder leaked out. These satellites carry equipment to track ships and aircraft via their radio transmissions. Positions of the origin of the transmissions are determined by triangulation. Each launch consists of two satellites of similar size in the same orbit. Both satellites maneuver to stationkeep relative to one another.

Updated: Jan 3, 7:59pm UTC

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