KH-11 was the first reconnaissance satellite equipped with Charge-coupled device (CCD) array technology for imaging. Data is transmitted through a network of communications satellites; the Satellite Data System.[1] The initial ground station for the processing of the electro-optical imaging was a secret National Reconnaissance Office facility in Area 58, located in the continental United States.[8]
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After the failure of the Boeing led Future Imagery Architecture program in 2005, NRO ordered from Lockheed two additional legacy hardware KH-11s. USA-224, the first of these two, was launched in early 2011 two years ahead of schedule, and US $ 2 billion under the initial budget estimate.[11]
Four generations of U.S. electro-optical reconnaissance have been identified:[12][13]