A Declassified History

1960

CORONA: America's Eyes in SpaceFirst launched in 1960, Corona operated with much less risk than photoreconnaissance aircraft and searched broad areas to capture incredibly valuable imagery while orbiting high above the Earth. These air and space platforms propelled the United States into an unparelleled position of dominance in photoreconnaissance capabilities that helped the U.S. win the Cold War.

1962

A-12 Reconnaissance AircraftCIA developed the highly secret A-12 Oxcart as the U-2 spy plane's successor, intended to meet the nation's need for a very fast, very high-flying reconnaissance aircraft that could avoid Soviet air defenses. It became operational on November 12, 1965. Not only did the A-12 prove its worth during its short operational life, but the overall OXCART project produced the second longest-lasting aerial reconnaissance platform in U.S. intelligence history: the SR-71.

1962

POPPY: America's Ears in SpaceThe Poppy reconnaissance satellite was the Galactic Radiation and Background (GRAB) successor. In 1962, the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), by then part of NRO's Program C, developed this larger and more advanced satellite. The NRL launched the first Poppy satellite on December 13, 1962, and the Poppy program completed seven missions. The NRL launched the last Poppy mission on December 14, 1971.

1964

QUILL: The NRO's Radar Satellite ExperimentQUILL was an experimental Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite, based on the Corona satellite and available SAR hardware, which flew one time in 1964. Because of diplomatic and security concerns the brief mission imaged only selected targets with the United States. Those targets could be inspected on the ground to validate the intelligence value of orbital SAR without alerting the Soviets to the capability or touching off diplomatic protest over active illumination of sovereign territory. This was a proof-of-concept mission.

1964

SR-71 Reconnaissance AircraftNo reconnaissance aircraft in history has operated globally in more hostile airspace or with such complete impunity than the SR-71, one of the world's fastest jet-propelled aircraft. The Blackbird's performance and operational achievements placed it at the pinnacle of aviation technology developments during the Cold War.

1965

MOL: Manned Orbiting LaboratoryThe Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) was as ambitious as it was secret, made to push the limits of what was possible in space at the time. MOL was designed to test new abilities and fulfill a top-secret reconnaissance mission of providing rapid response intelligence collection.

More Historical Declassified ProgramsThe Center for the Study of National Reconnaissance supports NRO leadership and the Intelligence Community by offering insights based on history, analytical studies, and outreach programs; and works to advance the public’s understanding of the discipline of national reconnaissance.