JUMPSEAT Unmasked: The U.S.'s Cold War Space Signals Pioneer
TL;DR
Declassification reveals JUMPSEAT, the U.S. Navy? No, the NRO/USAF’s first-generation highly elliptical orbit signals-collection satellite (launched 1971–1987 under Project EARPOP). The program gathered electronic emissions and intelligence from space, informing the DoD, NSA and other national security entities, and laid groundwork for later high‑elliptical orbit missions; it operated through 2006 and is now recognized as a pivotal Cold War–era space reconnaissance pioneer.
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