Jumpseat (satellite)


JUMPSEAT, also known as AFP-711 is a code name for a class of highly elliptical orbit SIGINT reconnaissance satellites operated by the National Reconnaissance Office for the United States Air Force in the 1970s and 1980s, and retired from use in 2006. These satellites were developed under Project EARPOP during the 1960s and early 1970s Some program details were declassified in December 2025.

Satellites

The JUMPSEAT satellites had the purpose of collecting electronic signals to provide information about adversarial countries weapon systems capabilities. This was a continuation of preexisting satellite constellations such as Grab or Poppy. Gathered data was downlinked to ground stations within the United States.
The Jumpseat satellites were manufactured by Hughes Aircraft and were inserted into highly elliptical Molniya orbits with an inclination of 63 degrees and orbital periods of close to 12 hours. These were in similar orbits to the Satellite Data System relay satellites.
The successors to the Jumpseat series are the Trumpet satellites.

List of satellite launches

Eight JUMPSEAT satellites with mission numbers 7701 to 7708 were launched between March 21, 1971, and February 12, 1987, from Vandenberg Space Launch Complex 4 West on Titan IIIB launch vehicles with Agena D boosters.
There was one failure, when the second satellite's Agena malfunctioned and left the satellite in a useless orbit.
NameCOSPAR ID
SATCAT No.		Launch date
Launch vehicleResult
OPS 4788
05053		March 21, 1971
03:45		Titan III(33)B
OPS 1844N/AFebruary 16, 1972
09:59		Titan III(33)B
OPS 7724
06791		August 21, 1973
16:07		Titan III(33)B
OPS 2439
07687		March 10, 1975
04:41		Titan III(34)B
OPS 6031
10688		February 25, 1978
05:00		Titan III(34)B
OPS 7225
12418		April 24, 1981
21:32		Titan III(34)B
OPS 7304
14237		July 31, 1983
15:41		Titan III(34)B
USA-21
17506		February 12, 1987
06:40		Titan III(34)B

General