Orion (satellite)

Operated by the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and developed with input from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), eight have been launched from Cape Canaveral on Titan IV and Delta IV launch vehicles since 1995.

[6] Mentor-4 (USA-202) deployment and initial westward drift after launch in January 2009 was controlled by the Pine Gap base.

About 60 days after launch Menwith Hill Ground Station was to take over control and initiate the collection mission.

Mentor-4's initial mission was to survey line-of-sight microwave towers and emitters in the People's Republic of China for 30 to 45 days as it was drifting from east to west.

This was to be followed by data collection covering the Middle East, Northern Africa, and Latin America.