GoKawiilDeclassified files reveal Cold War-era URSALA, RAQUEL, FARRAH spy satellites
Newly declassified documents detail a secretive US Air Force and National Reconnaissance Office program that launched small 'hitchhiker' satellites—codenamed URSALA, RAQUEL, FARRAH, GLORIA and CARRIE—starting in 1963. These suitcase-sized satellites rode alongside larger spacecraft, including the HEXAGON photo-reconnaissance satellites, and spun in orbit to collect electronic intelligence such as radar signals. Details about the program, including previously secret space shuttle payloads, have only been released in the past two months.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The disclosures offer historians and analysts a rare look into how US intelligence agencies rapidly built cheap, disposable satellites to track emerging foreign radar and communications threats during the Cold War. The shift described from bespoke, one-off designs to standardized satellites in the 1970s suggests the NRO was moving toward a more institutionalized, military-support-oriented intelligence infrastructure. Such declassifications can also reshape public understanding of the scale and duration of secret US space programs, some of which ran for over four decades.
- Twenty HEXAGON satellites launched 1971–1986 often carried secret ELINT subsatellites.
- Small hitchhiker satellites with codenames like URSALA and RAQUEL date back to 1963.
- Recent declassification reveals details of the program's evolution and secret shuttle payloads.
National Geographic Spy Satellite History Book — For readers fascinated by the declassified world of Cold War ELINT satellites like URSALA and RAQUEL, a deep-dive book on spy satellite history offers rich context on how these hidden space programs shaped intelligence gathering. It's a great way to explore the technology and secrecy behind these hitchhiker satellites beyond what any single article can cover.
See National Geographic Spy Satellite History Book on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: thespacereview.com — Dwayne A. Day, 2026-09-30
Published there as: “The top secret URSALA, RAQUEL, and FARRAH satellites”
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