Classified Military Orbital Launches

Just a question for any who are more familiar with this than me... Im referring to information contained here:
www.hq.nasa.gov...

specifically around May 12, 1996
May 12, 1996 Classified military payload. Orbital parameters
USA 119 unavailable
29A
Titan IV
May 12, 1996 Classified military payload. Orbital parameters
USA 120 unavailable
29B
Titan IV

These seem to be classified (at the time) military launches. This is mainly just for curiosities sake; do the contens of the payloads of these launches become unclassified over time?

Highly unlikely, of course some may, most won't be declassified. We wouldn't believe whats already up there.

reply to post by believer81


They may eventually say that it was a spy satellite, or something of the sort but they won't go into detail.

As a classified Titan IV launch there isn't much more official information out there than what you just posted. Astronautix has, IMHO, some of the best-informed speculation on the web when it comes to this sort of thing. The entry for the 12 May 1996 Titan launch is as follows:

1996 May 12 - 21:32 GMT - Vandenberg SLC4E. Titan 403A K-22 (45F-11) USA 119 Mass: 6,300 kg (13,800 lb). Spacecraft: SDS-2. Agency: NRO/NRL. Perigee: 1,051 km (653 mi). Apogee: 1,165 km (723 mi). Inclination: 63.40 deg. Period: 107.44 min. Unknown orbit

Classifying the spacecraft type on this launch as an SDS-2 satellite seems to be mostly speculation, but it is possible to infer what type of satellite is being launched based on a number of factors - the satellite manufacturer, where the satellite was sent from/delivered to, the type of launch system used, launch trajectory (i.e. polar orbit, etc.), what type of upper stage was used, etc.