Program: NOSS

Naval Ocean Surveillance System, also called Parcae, also called Triplet

American military ocean reconnaissance system. The former program was Poppy.

---

Whitecloud (1976-1987, 9 satellites)

The NOSS constellation consists of three orbital planes, each containing four satellites flying in formation; a main satellite and three sub-satellites. Some believe that the satellites periodically deploy solar sails to provide the propulsion required to maintain their precise formation flight.
Another theory says the satellites would be connected by long (several km!) wires?

Some of the NOSS launches carried a LIPS (Living Plume Shield) subsatellite. In those cases a jetisonable toroidal plume shield, which protected the satellite from the exhaust of the Star-37E motor, was fittet with some solar-cell experiments.
The use of the Star-37E motor for the NOSS launches is somewhat conjectural, but is performance fits good with the published wights of the NOSS satellites.

---

Triplet / SB-WASS (1990-1996, 4 satellites)

Also known as the Navy's Space-Based Wide Area Surveillance System (The Air Force's version is known and Singleton, USA 32, 45 and 81).
Satellites equipped with infrared sensors, built by Martin Marietta, 3600 kg.
The cluster could be composed of only the 3 sub-satellites, the main satellite being different?

---

Advanced SB-WASS (2001-, 6 satellites)

Manufactured by Lockheed Martin.
USA 160 launched in 2001
USA 173 launched in 2003
USA 181 launched in 2005
USA 194 launched in 2007
USA 229 launched in 2011
USA 238 launched in 2012

---

External resources

http://www.fas.org/spp/military/program/surveill/noss.htm

http://www.satobs.org/noss.html

---