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HEXAGON TERMINATION 

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HEXAGON GAMBIT 

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The United States now has operational satellite systems 

__ which operate together to provide 

search of broad areas, and 

·' 

high resolution spotting or surveillance 

"--cov~rage of important targets 

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~ The_present CORONA is essentially meeting the search require-

._ -ments and the GAMBIT-3 {G-3) is meeting 98% of the general 

• 

surveillance requirements and will have greater capacity in A' . • 

the future. CORONA's search capability has been adequate to 

detect and molj,itor major modifications of strategic installai . . 

tions. For example, nearly all the new SS-9 and SS-11 ICBM 

~ -silos have been discovered by CORONA; it can identify bombers 

I • and· count other types of aircraft; and, it can detect new 

surface-to-air missile sites.-

The HEXAGON system was initiated in 1964-65. Since 1964-65 

: -both the CORONA and the G-3 surveillance system have improved 

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.·. :si:g~ificantly in resolution and in mission life time. Further 

improvements in the G-3 system will be introduced this year. 

HEXAGON is presently planned as a replacement for the CORONA 

and a partial substitute for the surveillance system. 

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GAfiBIT 

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The issue is which combination of search and spotting 

photographic satellite systems yields the best intelligence 

coverage for the lowest .. cost. In the attachment and below 

we have compared two combinations--one with CORONA and one 

with HEXAGON. 

Common to both mixes is the G-3 spotting or surveillance 

system. The G-3 best resolut~on to date has been 12 u C 

~his is much better than the 

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HEXAGON. The G-3 ·spotting.system provides high•confidence 

. performance against a surveillance requirement which is by 

definition a sampling requirement. This coverage is carefully 

calculated in the case of each target category to detect within 

six months a change or breakthrough in Soviet weapons technology, 

force structure, or force levels. .(Present quarterly sampling 

of target categories varies from 100/4 to 40% of the total targets 

in a category, with 40"/4 typical of R&D test areas.) If present 

sampling rates are considered too low, a higher rate could be 

achieved by using the planned longer life G-3 vehicles or by 

flying some (perhaps 2-3 per year) G-3 missions at a higher 

altitude with resolution still superior to HEXAGON. 

The 2resent CORONA/G-3 mix offers: 

a higher number of missions (11 compared to 8) 

with a smaller time gap between missions, 

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greater reliability, 

' - more high quality G-3 photography, and 

lower_costs_{savings of $100 million annually 

and $60_0 million over five years). These cost 

savi1:~,s a~_:-_u~;= that reliability factors, necessary assurance of coverage, and the desire to 

,, -avoid gaps will require 4 successful HEXAGON 

launches p~r year and 5 programmed launches 

per year, particularly.in an arms limitation 

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environment. 

The HEXAGON/G-3 mix provides: 

- a 280-mile wide swath or path of coverage on the 

g:r::oyn_d_ -~s_ a_g_ainst the 130-mile swath of the CORONA. 

How_ever:, the_ 280-mile optional mode would expend 

the HEX:AGqN _film supply at such a rapid rate that 

the full swath will be used only occasionally. 

a better resolution than the CORONA (2' to 2.5' as 

opposed t-o 6 :o • best for present CORONA and a 

. potential -4. s·• for future CORONA) • 

But HEXAGON is a technically complex system whose first 

=1au.nch is at least- -20 months away. It remains subject to cost 

"escalation, program sfippage, and initial reliability problems 

affecting such-0 sys-tems. ---Termination of the CORONA now. in 

progress places reliance for search on a still untested system 

with the implicit risk of serious ga_ps in search coverage. 

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It may be argued that superior characteristics of the 

HEXAGON search resolution would provide higher confidence and 

earlier detection of mobile ICBi.'1 1 s, possibly camouflaged, and 

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other evasions of arms limitation treaties. 

Mobile ICBM 1 s must be more than 65 feet long (MINUTEMAN 

length). It should be noted that current intelligence estimates 

on mobile ICBM's indicate that it •is highly unlikely that the .. Soviets will deploy this type of system because of problems 

of degraded accuracy, reliability, high maintenance costs, and 

command and control difficulties. However, even if the Soviets 

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did in fact deploy, the current capability is probably adequate 

for detection if not for order of battle. G-3 was adequate to 

detect the deployment along the Sino-Soviet border of tactical 

missile systems (Scaleboard-SS-12 and other tactical missiles). 

These systems are smaller than a mobile ICBM which would be a 

threat to the u.s. 

Moreover, the mobile ICBi-l's are likely to be detected. with 

the high resolution G-3 in the typical 2 year R&D test phase as 

well as in deployment. Should the high resolution satellite 

fail to detect these missiles in the R&D test phase, the 

CORONA/G-3 mix would identify the deployment through the 

missile signature and/or the associated required maintenance 

and support facilities. 

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As to arms limitation evasion, ICBM's and other strategic 

weapons of major threat to the U.S. would be discernible to 

the present mix of satellite systems in both test and deployment. . ~:.l 

Sophisticated improvements in strategic weapons, if visible 

at all through photographic means, would require far better 

resolution than the HEXAGON could provide • 

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. TWO ALTERN~"-'Approved for Release: 2020/02/07 C05112032vE MERITS 

_System Mix Options Where Both Meet Current Reguirements 

CORONA/G-3 Combination 

Programmed 

Sys tern Launches 

CORONA 7 

G-3 •~~ 

Total Annual Costs 

Comments 

Successful 

Missions 

6 

,5 

Unit 

£.2il 

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HEXAGON GAMBIT 

Annual· 

Costs 

$105 M 

$138 M 

.$243 M 

a. Nearly all surveillance with best available resolution. 

b. Poorer (6'-10') resolution for search capability, but adequate 

to cover Sino-Soviet bloc. 

d. 

e. 

Shorter gaps between search and surveillance :missions. 

More G-3 missions for tech~ical intelligence. 

Less risk. 

f. Lower 5-year !iosts (operat.ing +$535 million; investment +$100 million) . '. l 

HEXAGON 

G-3 

... 

f 

HEXAGON/G-3 Comb'ination 

4 

4 

Total Annual Costs 

$45 M 

$25 M 

$225 M 

$125 ~ 

$350 M 

*Assumes that 5 launches per year will be programmed to achieve 

4 successful missions especially in the early years. The 

presently approved program is 4 launches per year which may 

achieve only 3 successful missions. 

Comments 

a. Better wide-area search resolution. 

b. Less surveillance target looks with best available resolution. 

c. Longer gaps between search and _surveillance missions. 

d. More risk. · 

e •• Higher 5-year costs (see c01l!ment above: $635 million more than 

mix Option 1). 

t COMPARATIVE CAPABILITIES OF CORONA, HEXAGON and G-3 · 'L 

! 

,, 

CORONA 

HEXAGON 

G-3 

Resolution 

Cost/ Best Area Coverage/ 

Launch Nadir Swath Mission 

$15 M 5'-6' 128 nm 9-11 million sq nm 

$40-45 M 2.s 1 280 nm 2U million sq nm 

$23 M 5-12 nm 180-200 targets 

covered per day 

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Orbital 

Life 

18-20 day: 

30-45 day: 

14-18 day: