What is shown on this logo?

US space intelligence loves to put meaning into mission emblems

No, this is not a character in a fantasy work, this is not just a drawing from somewhere from Deviantart and certainly not ZONE-sama .

The logo of the NROL-35 mission is shown on the left. The Atlas V 541 rocket will launch one or more spy satellites into orbit.

The launch was scheduled for yesterday morning (December 12), but due to weather conditions, the rocket will have to be launched only in a day. The new planned launch time is 03:13 UTC, that is, on December 13 at 6:13 Moscow time, just five hours after the publication of this article.
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NASA creates unique emblems for all of its launches. The US National Space Agency for Intelligence also follows this tradition.

Logos differ not only in state secrets: NASA makes pretty predictable boring emblems with spaceships and a star-striped flag. UNR also uses Vikings, teddy bears, masonic symbols . Because of the secrecy associated with intelligence activities, it is impossible to say exactly what these signs mean.

In the sixties of the last century, mankind was at the dawn of manned cosmonautics. Then NASA allowed astronauts to choose their own names for their ships. John Glenn, for example, chose the name Friendship 7 (“Friendship-7”) for his capsule. Gordon Cooper called his unit Faith 7 ("Faith-7").

Astronauts were deprived of this privilege with the start of the program Gemini . Of course, astronauts were upset, and Cooper suggested that as a compromise, they should be allowed to create their own emblems, as they do in military structures. NASA granted this request. Since then, an important component of any launch, with or without people on board, is a patch.

It is at this moment that the National Directorate of Military Space Intelligence appears. In 1960, the former president, Dwight Eisenhower, established the UPR as the central regulator of the state intelligence organization using images from spy satellites.

The activity was very secretive: the existence of the UPR became known to the general public only in 1971, and the first Corona photo-exploration program was declassified only in 1995. Satellite tracking capabilities were a determining factor in the development of astronautics, but many technical capabilities are kept to this day.

UNR launches about 4-6 missiles per year. This Saturday, the planned launch of the mission NROL-35, the logo of which is shown above. It is not known what these devices will do, but the launch date and time have not been hidden for a couple of decades - you just can't hide a rocket.

Enthusiasts who are watching the launches soon noticed that the space reconnaissance missions also have emblems. UNR was not particularly worried about their leaks, at some point they themselves began to publish images. Probably, the pictures have some meaning, but intelligence can afford to play and give it away.

Fame emblems increased in the two thousandth with the launch of the mission NROL-11. On this patch are depicted owl eyes directed at the beholder, and four arrows, one of which is black with a white outline, and the other three are completely white.

In total there are two orbits, on each of them there are two arrows. They pass over what looks like the southern part of Africa.

Later it turned out that the logo affected the secrecy of the program. The civilian satellite observer Ted Moltsan, based on the design of the patch, suggested that one of the satellites had failed in the previous mission, so the new device must replace it.

A satellite appeared in orbit, which Molchan suggested. Cosmonautics historian Robert Pearlman reported on these successes in the UPR. Initially, the intelligence refused to give any comments. Half an hour later, the organization called back and asked not to publish this story. Representatives of the UNR explained that the emblems are intended only to raise the morale of workers.

Whether this recognizes UNR or not, the NROL-11 logo gave out secret data about satellite orbit. Nevertheless, the intelligence did not abandon the tradition, although now they approach this case more strictly.

Who is depicted on the logo NROL-35? You can try to sort out some goddesses and characters.

• Hecate - the ancient Greek goddess of moonlight, witchcraft, hell and all the mysterious. Hecate grants wisdom in public meetings, happiness in war, rich booty in hunting. As the goddess of hell, she was also considered the goddess of all mysterious. Often, Hecate is depicted in a black dress holding a trident and a source of fire.
• Amphitrite - the sea goddess, who was often represented holding a trident.
• Shiva is a Hindu deity depicted with a trident.
• Durga is the goddess of Hinduism, the consort of Shiva. Its attribute is also a trident.
• Britain is the personified symbol of Great Britain. Depicted with a trident, but the origin of the fire is not clear.

The first option may seem the most likely.

Here are just a few other emblems of UNR missions.


This logo appeared just under the beginning of the leaks of Edward Snowden in the summer of 2013, so it can be seen as a picture to attract attention in articles about the NSA. The text reads: “Nothing is beyond our reach.”


It is possible that the five rays, shooting from the hands of the winged warrior, represent the five existing satellites of the Quasar communications system. Cargo NROL-33 was one of these satellites. Perhaps two wolves turned to the west and one to the east are new positions in this system. The setting sun can talk about the completion of the program.


The estimated load of mission NROL-June 38, 2012 is some kind of satellite that operates with two others, forming a system. If this is true, then the three-headed dragon is easy to explain. Heads may indicate the location of satellites relative to the earth.


The inspiration for the NROL-66 mission emblem was Highway 66 . It is possible that the bull is a reference to the devil because of the similarity of 66 with 666. Or it is dictated by the name of the launch vehicle - Minotaur-1 . The load on the NROL-66 was not a spy satellite, but some other secret device.


The bird on the emblem of the NROL-49 can be a symbol of the United States, the languages ​​of fire are the heavy configuration of the Delta-4 rocket. It is possible that the bird is a phoenix, and the satellite being launched took over the functions of the out-of-date apparatus. The inscription in Latin reads “better known evil”, which is part of the saying “better known evil than unknown”.


NROL-16 was launched in April 2005. Little is known about this patch. Pelican can be a reference to the place where they live, the gorilla with the Mohawk is the dominant America.


The rocket on the emblem of the NROL-1 is the Atlas with which the launch was carried out. Geometric figure suggests the idea of ​​the Pentagon or the Ministry of Defense.


Why on the emblem NROL-10 (launch December 6, 2000) a teddy bear is depicted, it remains a mystery.


The emblem NROL-9, the device was launched on May 22, 1999. It is unclear what dictated the choice of the beast and the slogan "the cat is released from the bag" (meaning idioms - to spill the beans).

Perhaps UNR is just playing with the public. Pearlman believes that this is such an internal competition: make the patch as stupid as you can, but so that it does not fly from the authorities. Or workers capture images that were born in the process of discussion.

It is unlikely that the real reason will ever be known to us.

Based on the Smithsonian site and Reddite discussion .

upd: the last launch of the UNR in 2014 NROL-35 was successful . Details are classified, but there are suggestions that the device was put into orbit "Lightning" .