NRO - CORONA Fact Sheet

CORONA Programs Declassified

KH-1 through KH-3 (CORONA): Flew 1960-1962. Collected both intelligence and mapping imagery.
KH-4, 4a, 4b (MURAL): Flew 1961-1962. Evolved to include two film return buckets and serve as the mainstay of the CORONA program.
KH-5 (ARGON): Flew 1961-1964. First launch preceded the final KH-3 and first KH-4 flights, but experienced developmental problems. Only five of its twelve launches successfully returned film.
KH-6 (LANYARD): Flew 1963. Successful in 2 of its 3 launches, LANYARD used a complicated roll joint to aim its camera instead of maneuvering the Agena vehicle that carried it.

Origins

Significant Dates

28 February 1959	#1 CORONA test launch attempt by USAF and CIA
22 June 1960	GRAB, an Electronic Intelligence Satellite launched by the Navy, becomes first operational U.S. reconnaissance satellite
12 August 1960	#13 1^st successful recovery from space
18 August 1960	#14 Took 1^st image from space
6 September 1961	National Reconnaissance Office is chartered by CIA and Defense Department to centralize management of the National Reconnaissance Program
25 May 1972	#145, a KH-4b MURAL, became the final launch in the CORONA family
31 May 1972	Last images of the series taken
24 February 1995	Executive Order for CORONA declassification announced
24 May 1995	Ceremonies at Central Intelligence Agency and National Air & Space Museum

"Firsts" in History

Imagery Statistics

Imaging resolution was originally 8 meters (25 feet), but improved to 2 meters (6 feet)
Individual images on average covered an area of approximately 10 miles by 120 miles

Production Statistics