MENTOR, sometimes called Advanced Orion by observers, is reportedly a code-name for a class of United States spy satellite

Spy satellite

A spy satellite is an Earth observation satellite or communications satellite deployed for military or intelligence applications....

s that collect signals intelligence (SIGINT) from space. Operated by the National Reconnaissance Office

National Reconnaissance Office

The National Reconnaissance Office , located in Chantilly, Virginia, is one of the 16 U.S. intelligence agencies. It designs, builds, and operates the spy satellites of the United States government.-Mission:...

 (NRO) and developed with input from the Central Intelligence Agency

Central Intelligence Agency

The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...

 (CIA), three were launched from Cape Canaveral

Cape Canaveral

Cape Canaveral, from the Spanish Cabo Cañaveral, is a headland in Brevard County, Florida, United States, near the center of the state's Atlantic coast. Known as Cape Kennedy from 1963 to 1973, it lies east of Merritt Island, separated from it by the Banana River.It is part of a region known as the...

 on Titan IV

Titan IV

The Titan IV family of space boosters were used by the U.S. Air Force. They were launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, and Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. At the time of its introduction, the Titan IV was the "largest unmanned space booster used by the Air Force."The...

 and Titan IVB rockets between 1995 and 2003, with a fourth launched on a Delta IV-H in 2009. These satellites collect radio emissions (SIGINT) from geostationary orbit

Geostationary orbit

A geostationary orbit is a geosynchronous orbit directly above the Earth's equator , with a period equal to the Earth's rotational period and an orbital eccentricity of approximately zero. An object in a geostationary orbit appears motionless, at a fixed position in the sky, to ground observers...

s and act as replacements for the older constellation of Magnum/Orion

Magnum (satellite)

Magnum is the code name for a class of SIGINT spy satellites reportedly operated by the National Reconnaissance Office for the United States Central Intelligence Agency...

 satellites. Observers estimate the satellites weigh close to 5,200 kg and have very large (estimated 100 m diameter) radio reflecting dishes. NRO L-32, which is seen as the fifth satellite in the series, is according to NRO director Bruce Carlson "(...) the largest satellite in the world". It is believed that this refers to the diameter of the main antenna, which might be well in excess of 100 m (328.1 ft). The mission and capabilities of these satellites are highly classified

Classified information

Classified information is sensitive information to which access is restricted by law or regulation to particular groups of persons. A formal security clearance is required to handle classified documents or access classified data. The clearance process requires a satisfactory background investigation...

. Earlier satellites with similar missions, the Rhyolite/Aquacade

Rhyolite/Aquacade

Rhyolite and later, Aquacade are reportedly code names for a class of SIGINT spy satellites operated by the National Reconnaissance Office for the United States Central Intelligence Agency. The National Security Agency was also reportedly involved...

 series, were built by TRW

TRW

TRW Inc. was an American corporation involved in a variety of businesses, mainly aerospace, automotive, and credit reporting. It was a pioneer in multiple fields including electronic components, integrated circuits, computers, software and systems engineering. TRW built many spacecraft,...

; it is not known who made the Mentors.

List of Launches and survey areas

Name	Launch date	Longitude	Alt. name	Launch desig.	COSPAR COSPAR The Committee on Space Research was established by the International Council for Science in 1958.Among COSPAR's objectives are the promotion of scientific research in space on an international level, with emphasis on the free exchange of results, information, and opinions, and providing a forum,...  ID
Advanced Orion 1	14 May 1995	127°E	USA-110	-	1995-022A
Advanced Orion 2	9 May 1998	14.5°W (since 2009, before at 44°E)	USA-139	NROL-6	1998-029A
Advanced Orion 3	9 Sep 2003	95.5°E	USA-171	NROL-16	2003-041A
Advanced Orion 4	18 Jan 2009	44°E (replacing USA-139)	USA-202	NROL-26	2009-001A
Advanced Orion 5	21 Nov 2010	100.9°E	USA-223	NROL-32	2010-063A

External links

• Advanced Orion at Encyclopedia Astronautica
  Encyclopedia Astronautica
  The Encyclopedia Astronautica is a reference web site on space travel. A comprehensive catalog of vehicles, technology, astronauts, and flights, it includes information from most countries that have had an active rocket research program, from Robert Goddard to the NASA Space shuttle to the Soviet...
  
  
• Globalsecurity- Magnum/ Mentor/ Orion