CLASSIFIED
BLACKJACK ACES-1
US Military Technology Demonstrator (Scaled-Down Constellation) · DARPA / Blue Canyon Technologies
Right now
LiveIt moves every second. See exactly where it is — worked out from its orbit, on your own device — on the live 3D globe.
- Over
- —
- Altitude
- —
- Speed
- —
Blackjack Aces-1, one of only four satellites remaining from DARPA's originally planned 20-satellite Blackjack constellation. The 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 rather than individual sophistication. By 2023, budget and scheduling pressure had quietly shrunk that ambitious plan down to just four spacecraft.
Its orbit
- Orbit
- Low Earth Orbitcan appear as a fast-moving star at dawn or dusk
- Altitude
- 319–320 mi (513–515 km)
- Inclination
- 97.6°
- One orbit
- 94.8 minutes15.2 orbits a day
- NORAD ID
- 56956
- Int’l designator
- 2023-084AA
- Launched
- 2023
Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 22 Sep 2026.
More classified
- BLACKJACK ACES-2US Military Technology Demonstrator
- BLACKJACK ACES-3US Military Technology Demonstrator (Scaled-Down Constellation)
- 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)