KH-9 Hexagon
KH-9 (BYEMAN codename HEXAGON), commonly known as Big Bird, was a series of photographic reconnaissance satellites launched by the United States between 1971 and 1986. Of twenty launch attempts by the United States Air Force, all but one were successful. Photographic film aboard Big Bird was sent back to Earth in recoverable film return capsules for processing and interpretation. The best ground resolution achieved by the main cameras was better than 0.6 meters.
They are also officially known as the Broad Coverage Photo Reconnaissance satellites (Code 467), built by Lockheed Corporation for the National Reconnaissance Office.
The KH-9 was declassified in September 2011 and an example was put on public display on September 17, 2011.
On January 26, 2012 the National Museum of the United States Air Force put a KH-9 on public display along with its predecessors the KH-7 and KH-8.
Read more about KH-9 Hexagon: Development, Main Camera, Mapping Imagery, High-altitude Atmospheric Density, ELINT Subsatellites, KH-9 Missions, Cost, Specifications