CLASSIFIED
BLACKJACK ACES-3
US Military Technology Demonstrator (Scaled-Down Constellation) · DARPA / Blue Canyon Technologies
Right now
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Blackjack Aces-3 was supposed to be one of twenty. DARPA's Blackjack program set out in 2017 to prove that cheap, commercial-grade satellites — built for under $6 million each, including launch — could match the performance of billion-dollar spy satellites through sheer numbers and mesh networking instead of individual sophistication. By 2023, budget and scheduling pressure had quietly shrunk the ambitious 20-satellite plan down to just four. This satellite, launched June 12, 2023, is one of the survivors — a real technology test now, not the operational constellation DARPA originally promised.
Its orbit
- Orbit
- Low Earth Orbitcan appear as a fast-moving star at dawn or dusk
- Altitude
- 318–320 mi (512–515 km)
- Inclination
- 97.6°
- One orbit
- 94.8 minutes15.2 orbits a day
- NORAD ID
- 56950
- Int’l designator
- 2023-084U
- Launched
- 2023
Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 22 Sep 2026.
More classified
- CHAMRAN-1Technology demonstration
- CHECKMATE 1US Military Mesh Communications (SDA Tranche 0 Transport Layer)
- CHECKMATE 10US Military Mesh Communications (SDA Tranche 0 Transport Layer)
- CHECKMATE 2US Military Mesh Communications (SDA Tranche 0 Transport Layer)
- CHECKMATE 3US Military Mesh Communications (SDA Tranche 0 Transport Layer)
- CHECKMATE 4US Military Mesh Communications (SDA Tranche 0 Transport Layer)