QUILL
Around 1960, the USAF had a requirement for a satellite-based weather/light-independent post-strike bomb damage assessment system. A method to get aerial images of the ground under all conditions is to use a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), where a radar emitter scans the surface while moving over it, and generates electronic images from the the radar returns. The basic principle had been shown to work from aircraft, and it should work equally well or possibly even better (because satellites are more stable platforms) from space. In November 1962, the newly-formed National Reconnaissance Office approved the development of an experimental SAR imaging satellite. The program was numbered Program 40 (P-40), and the satellite was named QUILL. Shortly thereafter, contracts were awarded to Lockheed for the spacecraft and systems integration, and Goodyear for the radar. The contract covered two launches and one engineering test model.
QUILL consisted basically of a Goodyear "KP-II" pulse-Doppler radar, a modified AN/UPQ-102, on a Lockheed Agena D spacecraft. The first satellite was put into orbit by a Trust-Augmented Thor booster on 21 December 1964. The mission was a purely experimental one, lasting just 4 days and scanning only some areas in the USA. The radar data was recorded both to a magnetic tape and photographic film. The film was recovered after two days with a recovery capsule, using the same procedure as contemporary photo-reconnaissance systems like CORONA. The data stored on tape was transmitted to two ground stations via a wide-band UHF link.
The first QUILL mission was fully successful, and validated the concept of space-based radar imaging. The second flight was therefore cancelled, and the QUILL-specific hardware discarded or repurposed. Despite this success, to took about 15 years, until the first NRO program for an operational SAR reconnaissance satellite (LACROS/ONYX) was started.
QUILL Launch List
- Name: Unclassified name of the satellite. The OPS number ("OPS" standing for "Operations") is a random number given to all military-related satellite launches between 1963 and May 1984 (when "OPS" was replaced by a sequential "USA" number).
- COSPAR ID: International designation of the satellite
| No. | Name | COSPAR ID | Launch | Launch Vehicle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OPS 3762 | 1964-087A | 21 Dec 1964 | SLV-2A TAT-Agena D |
| 2 | Cancelled | |||
QUILL launches
Main Sources
[1] Jeffrey T. Richelson: Ups and Downs
of Space Radars, Air Force Magazine, January 2009
[2] Robert L. Perry: QUILL - Radar In Orbit,
NRO, 1972
[3] Robert L. Butterworth:
QUILL -
The First Imaging Radar Satellite, NRO, 2002
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Last Updated: 17 July 2025