ORS 1 (USA 231)

ORS 1 (USA 231) is no longer on orbit
ORS 1 (USA 231) is classified as:

Military

NORAD ID: 37728

Int'l Code: 2011-029A

Launch date: June 30, 2011
Source: United States (US)
Launch site: WALLOPS ISLAND (WLPIS)
Decay date: 2018-03-12

ORS-1 is a a small spacecraft designed to make the benefits of satellite technology more accessible to deployed U.S. military forces in Afghanistan and other war zones in the Middle East. Developed on a rapid timeline for the Pentagon's Operationally Responsive Space office, the satellite will snap images of the battlefield and relay them directly to troops, bypassing intelligence analysts and ground controllers in the United States. The ORS 1 satellite's importance is highlighted by the planned reduction in troop levels in Afghanistan, according to a U.S. Air Force space official. With less manpower on the ground, forces will need a technological edge over the enemy. The ORS 1 spacecraft will operate at the whim of troop commanders on the battlefield, while legacy reconnaissance satellites typically capture strategic imagery that ends up in the hands of analysts in Washington, D.C.