Blackjack is a

constellation A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms Asterism (astronomy), a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object. The origins of the e ...

of small American

surveillance satellite A reconnaissance satellite or intelligence satellite (commonly, although unofficially, referred to as a spy satellite) is an Earth observation satellite or communications satellite deployed for military or intelligence applications. The ...

s to be launched starting in 2022. The Blackjack program was started by

DARPA The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is a research and development agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of emerging technologies for use by the military. Originally known as the Adv ...

in 2017, with contracts awarded in 2020. The Blackjack constellation will replace or complement larger systems such as

Misty Misty may refer to: Music * ''Misty'' (Ray Stevens album), an album by Ray Stevens featuring the above song * ''Misty'' (Richard "Groove" Holmes album), an album by Richard "Groove" Holmes featuring the above song * ''Misty'' (Eddie "Lockjaw" ...

and

KH-11 The KH-11 KENNEN (later renamed CRYSTAL,p.199-200 then Evolved Enhanced CRYSTAL System, and codenamed 1010 and Key Hole) is a type of reconnaissance satellite first launched by the American National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) in December 19 ...

. These new orbiters will be cheaper, more numerous and short-lived than existing systems. The new devices can be launched more covertly, may be more difficult to track and attack, and would be constantly replaced by new versions as older ones fall back to Earth. Each would have limited capabilities, but would operate as part of a constellation of twenty satellites networked together. Costs would be reduced by using the common commercial satellite buses now available. In mid 2020, open sources indicated the first two satellites would be launched in the third quarter of 2021. As of January 2022, the first four satellites of the constellation are scheduled to launch in fall 2022.

References

{{US Reconnaissance Satellites DARPA projects National Reconnaissance Office satellites Reconnaissance satellites of the United States Small satellites

See also

References