USA-4

USA-4 was an American communication relay satellite carrying a Satellite Data System payload operated by the National Reconnaissance Office and U.S. Air Force. The fifth of seven Quasar missions, it was launched on a Titan IIIB rocket from Vandenberg, SLC-4W in California on August 28, 1984.

Overview

The QUASAR 5 satellite launched from what was then called the Air Force Western Test Range, now SLC-4W at Vandenberg SFB, for a launch cost of $25.8 million. The satellite was inserted into a highly elliptical 287 × 38,156 km orbit at an inclination of 63.3°. The apogee was set in the northern hemisphere.
The satellite was equipped with a Satellite Data System payload developed by the US Air Force Space and Missile Systems Organization (SAMSO) and acted as a communication relay for transmitting real-time data from US reconnaissance satellites such as KH-9 Hexagon. It was also used for communications to US Air Force aircraft on polar routes. In 1984, the Permanent Representative of the US to the United Nations stated in a report that the spacecraft was engaged with "practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communications".