Space Brief 8 Jan 2025
Today's highlights include China's launch of Shijian-25 for on-orbit refueling tests, Pentagon's investment in defense technologies, and key military upgrades.
OPS 4515 (10947)
COSPAR: 1978-060A | Alt Name: OPS 4515
DECAYED
Image
Additional Sources
Launch Details
Launch Date
June 14, 1978
Launch Site
AFWTR
Launch Pad
SLC4E
Launch Vehicle
Titan IIID
Orbital Elements
NORAD ID
10947
International Designator
1978-060A
Decay Date
8/23/1981
Basic Satellite Info
Name
OPS 4515
Alternative Name
OPS 4515
Type
Payload
Status
Decayed
Owner
NRO/CIA
Country
United States
Constellation
N/A
Related Satellites
Major Events
N/A
Summary
Apologies, there is no summary for this satellite yet. I am working to generate these for every object in the catalog, but it is going to take time.
Physical Characteristics
Length
19
Diameter
3
Span
30
Dry Mass
8556
Launch Mass
8556
Shape
Cyl + 2 Pan
Radar Cross Section
35.1875
Visual Magnitude
Unknown
Color
Unknown
Material Composition
Unknown
Technical Details
Payload
KENNEN 2
Purpose
Unknown
Mission
Unknown
Manufacturer
TRW
Life Expectancy
Unknown
Bus
KH-11
Configuration
Unknown
Motor
Unknown
Equipment
Unknown
Power System
Unknown
ADCS
Unknown
Transmitter Frequency
Unknown
Satellite Articles
View All Posts »Learn more about satellites and other related topics.
The Day a Jupiter-Bound Spacecraft Traveled Past Venus
Thirty-five years ago, NASA's Galileo spacecraft made a crucial flyby of Venus, pioneering a complex path through the inner solar system that would revolutionize planetary exploration
X Report 25 Dec 2024
SpaceX wraps up a record-breaking year with successful launches and advancements in Starlink mega-constellation.
X Report 14 Apr 2025
SpaceX sets a new reuse record with Falcon 9's 27th flight, continuing its Starlink deployment while facing challenges with Starship development.
The 300,000 Swerves Keeping Low Earth Orbit From Crashing
Starlink satellites fired their thrusters to dodge a collision roughly 300,000 times in 2025, about 822 times a day. Behind that number is a fragile, half-automated system of warnings, probabilities, and judgment calls that decides which close approaches are worth a maneuver and which are just noise.
Space Brief 26 Nov 2024
Today's headlines include new launch schedules, military industrial base challenges, and NASA's exploration of historic Cold War sites. Discover significant space events and satellite insights.
X Report 14 Mar 2025
SpaceX advances pre-launch tests amid Starlink deployment surge and strategic expansions in Texas.
The Pentagon's Mystery Spaceplane Takes Off
On April 22, 2010, an Atlas V lifted off from Cape Canaveral carrying a reusable robotic spaceplane so secret that the Air Force would not even confirm its mission duration. It came back 224 days later, lighter, quieter, and more operational than anyone outside Washington had expected. Fifteen years later, the X-37B is still flying, and the military still will not say what it does.