Secret Space Launch for Lockheed Martin

CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, FL – On a gloomy night and delayed by rain showers and thick threatening clouds to the very last moment of a two and a half launch window, the completely clandestine satellite known only as CLIO climbed slowly from a Cape Canaveral launch pad atop the thunderous flames of an Atlas V rocket on Tuesday evening on a mysterious mission to orbit.

Under a veil of secrecy for an unknown US government customer, the clouds cleared just enough to finally launch CLIO on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V booster at 8:10 p.m. EDT September 16, 2014 from Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

“It is an honor to work with Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company and all of our mission partners to launch this very important satellite,” said Jim Sponnick, ULA vice president, Atlas and Delta Programs, in a statement

Link

a reply to: Jenisiz

Not sure how this is secret..

a reply to: Jenisiz
Clandestine Live ISIS Observer (CLIO).
Say cheese you F$&#&$%S.

originally posted by: alienjuggalo
a reply to: Jenisiz

Not sure how this is secret..

Aaah because it's mentioned in the article several times?

Myself and other media were allowed to visit the launch pad and photograph the rocket up close with the CLIO insignia emblazoned on the payload fairing, shrouding the mysterious satellite beneath.

originally posted by: Xeven
a reply to: Jenisiz
Clandestine Live ISIS Observer (CLIO).
Say cheese you F$&#&$%S.

Exactly my thoughts...especially with its speculated orbit.

a reply to: Jenisiz

I guess I should have said they are not very good at keeping a secret..

Wasn't a knock on you op

originally posted by: alienjuggalo
a reply to: Jenisiz

I guess I should have said they are not very good at keeping a secret..

Wasn't a knock on you op

Naw all good. One does wonder why make it sound like a mystery then allow media coverage. It's like they want it known it was being launched.

a reply to: Jenisiz

Two things come to my mind....
X-37
Stuxnet

Quick search of available links shows the CLIO is based on something called the A2100Bus which from the horses mouth…

Leading the way is our A2100, one of the most powerful flight-proven commercial spacecraft currently available. This modular geosynchronous satellite has a design life of 15 years and a flexible payload capacity ideally suited to meet the demand for commercial space systems well into the 21st century—a demand driven by growth in mobile telephony, business services, direct broadcast, internet, multimedia and broadband services.

Link

Geosynchronous satellite apparently? Wonder who they are going to park it over?

This sounds more like a communications rig than a spy satellite.....but I guess they could combine the two missions if they wanted to......
My guess is military communications for the coming war with Islam.....

originally posted by: stirling
This sounds more like a communications rig than a spy satellite.....but I guess they could combine the two missions if they wanted to......
My guess is military communications for the coming war with Islam.....

They've never had a problem with divulging communications satellites in the past... unless they're used for private projects.

a reply to: stirling

Given the USA-257 number, it leads me to believe it's operated by the NRO for the NSA. Could also be drone related, but that's a second guess.

Edit to add: Since the article says it's similar to PAN (USA-207), I'll stick with those two ideas. PAN was launched in 2006, and despite being geostationary, has a habit of moving around. I'm guessing that CLIO will be something to supplement PAN.

Going by mythology, Pan would often be seen playing an instrument. Usually a flute or a lyre. Clio is not only the muse of history, but also the muse of lyre playing.

CLIO, the clandestine mission, represents everything that is wrong with global space programs. There should be no secret missions up there. Secret missions are an extension of human warfare into space where it does not belong.

CLIO could be a CIA/Pentagon war weapon against the European efforts to establish an alternative to GPS.

Nobody knows. Not even the experts know what the mission was really about.

a reply to: Jenisiz

There needs be a window of time to warn mariners of the launch. Those things do fly over commercial fishing waters.

I saw her go up. I've seen hundreds

a reply to: SayonaraJupiter

There are currently around 1100 operational satellites in orbit, of which less than 100 are clandestine. Of those 100, less than forty are operated by the US. The next biggest allotment is China, with around twenty, followed by Russia with less than a dozen. The remaining are other countries.

A lot can be told about a satellite's purpose by its orbit. Geostationary is almost exclusively communications.

Also, weapons have been outlawed from space per the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, which the US is both a signatory and ratifier of.

a reply to: SayonaraJupiter

And, once again, how does a satellite that will apparently be in Geosynchronous orbit affect GPS?

How does an RF transmitter a mile away from a radio affect it.

originally posted by: cmdrkeenkid
a reply to: stirling

Given the USA-257 number, it leads me to believe it's operated by the NRO for the NSA. Could also be drone related, but that's a second guess.

Edit to add: Since the article says it's similar to PAN (USA-207), I'll stick with those two ideas. PAN was launched in 2006, and despite being geostationary, has a habit of moving around. I'm guessing that CLIO will be something to supplement PAN.

Going by mythology, Pan would often be seen playing an instrument. Usually a flute or a lyre. Clio is not only the muse of history, but also the muse of lyre playing.

Its my understanding that a satellite in geosync orbit is not very good for drone use. Something to do with the higher orbit and the time delay? I'm not an expert by any means so if someone knows the answer please correct me!

a reply to: roadgravel

It doesn't. I've driven past radio stations, both AM and FM, and had no issues with the GPS. Same goes for back in the day when, instead of an auxiliary plug in the car, an FM transmitter was used to listen to the MP3 player in the car. Never an issue with the GPS, and that was only a couple feet away.

a reply to: boomer135

No idea. It would make sense, since that would include a significant portion of lag because of the distances. But like I said, that's my second guess. I don't know much about drone operations.

I'm still sticking with NRO/NSA related and supplementing the operations of PAN. I bet the two of them will wind up near each other once CLIO is out of GTO.