US Reveals Program Used To Spy On Commies From Space
The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) recently quietly declassified a Cold War-era satellite program used to spy on the Soviet Union’s military communication signals. JUMPSEAT, was the U.S.’ first-generation, highly…
The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) recently quietly declassified a Cold War-era satellite program used to spy on the Soviet Union’s military communication signals.
JUMPSEAT, was the U.S.’ first-generation, highly elliptical orbit (HEO) signals-collection satellite and was launched from 1971 to 1987, according to a Jan. 28 NRO news release. The satellite was developed by the USAir Force’s (USAF) program at the NRO.
“The historical significance of JUMPSEAT cannot be understated,” Dr. James Outzen, NRO’s director of the Center for the Study of National Reconnaissance, said in a statement. “Its orbit provided the U.S. a new vantage point for the collection of unique and critical signals intelligence from space.”
Created as part of a program dubbed “Project EARPOP,” JUMPSEAT was intended to allow the U.S. government to collect intelligence amid escalating Cold War tensions, according to the news release.
The NRO and the USAF launched the first JUMPSEAT mission in 1971 from Vandenberg Space Force Base — previously known as Vandenberg Air Force Base — in Santa Barbara County, California, according to the press release. JUMPSEAT was able to successfully collect electronic emissions and signals, communication intelligence and foreign instrumentation intelligence.