USA-229
USA-229, known before launch as NRO Launch 34 (NROL-34), is a pair of American signals intelligence satellites which were launched in 2011. They are operated by the United States National Reconnaissance Office.

Both satellites were deployed by a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 411 launch vehicle, which launched from SLC-3E at the Vandenberg Air Force Base. The launch occurred at 04:24 UTC on 15 April 2011. The rocket placed the satellites into a low Earth orbit. By 04:29 UTC, official updates on the status of the spacecraft had been discontinued.

Whilst details of the satellites and their missions are officially classified, amateur observers have identified that the Atlas V deployed two satellites, one of which has officially been catalogued as debris. The two spacecraft have been identified as being a pair of third or fourth generation Naval Ocean Surveillance System satellites. Amateur observations have located the spacecraft in an orbit with a perigee of and an apogee of , inclined at 63.46° to the plane of the equator. Current generation NOSS satellites are always launched and operated in pairs, and are used to locate and track ships and aircraft from the radio transmissions that they emit.
Q30
American
LOC
Q836610
signals intelligence
Concept
Q26540
satellite
Concept
Q427818
United States National Reconnaissance Office
Concept
Q1236833
United Launch Alliance
ORG
Q23625
Atlas V
Concept
Q697175
launch vehicle
Concept
Q2510103
SLC-3E
LOC
Q461492
Vandenberg Air Force Base
LOC
Q663611
low Earth orbit
Concept
Q3074873
Naval Ocean Surveillance System
MEDIA
Q83481
perigee
Concept
Q83481
apogee
Concept
Q4112212
inclined
Concept
Q23538
equator
Concept
Q7865689
USA-229
MISC
2011-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
2011
DATE
2011-04-15T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
15 April 2011
DATE
-229^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
-229
NUMBER
+34^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
34
NUMBER
-34^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
-34
NUMBER
-3^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
-3
NUMBER
+04^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
04
NUMBER
+24^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
24
NUMBER
+04^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
04
NUMBER
+29^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
29
NUMBER
+63.46^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
63.46
NUMBER
item operated
start point
UTC date of spacecraft launch