# Poppy 3A
**Wikidata**: [Q11699147](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11699147)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/poppy-3a

## Summary
Poppy 3A is an American reconnaissance satellite that was launched on 11 January 1964 from Vandenberg Space Launch Complex 1 aboard a Thor-Agena D rocket. It belongs to the Poppy series of signals-intelligence satellites that covertly collected electronic emissions for U.S. naval intelligence during the Cold War.

## Key Facts
- Launch date: 11 January 1964
- COSPAR ID: 1964-001E
- Satellite catalog number (SCN): 00731
- Launch vehicle: Thor-Agena D
- Launch site: Vandenberg Space Launch Complex 1, California
- Primary mission: reconnaissance / signals intelligence
- Series: Poppy (naval ELINT program)
- Wikipedia language coverage: Polish (pl)

## FAQs
### Q: What kind of satellite is Poppy 3A?
A: Poppy 3A is a reconnaissance satellite that intercepted and recorded electronic signals for U.S. intelligence purposes.

### Q: When and where did Poppy 3A launch?
A: It lifted off on 11 January 1964 from Vandenberg Space Launch Complex 1 aboard a Thor-Agena D rocket.

### Q: Is Poppy 3A still in orbit?
A: Source material does not specify current orbital status; the mission dates from 1964, so it is presumed inactive.

## Why It Matters
Poppy 3A was part of the classified Poppy program that gave the United States a space-based signals-intelligence (SIGINT) capability at the height of Cold War tensions. By orbiting receivers that could geolocate and catalog Soviet radar and naval emissions, the satellite helped map adversary air-defense networks and fleet movements without risking manned aircraft. The success of early Poppy launches, including 3A, validated small-satellite ELINT techniques and paved the way for later, more capable constellations such as POPPY's successor, PARCA. Declassified data from the larger Poppy series have since become a cornerstone for historians studying 1960s naval intelligence and the technological arms race in space.

## Notable For
- One of the first operational U.S. naval ELINT satellites
- Launched on the maiden flight of 1964 (COSPAR 1964-001 series)
- Flew on the reliable Thor-Agena D combination, a workhorse of early military space
- Part of the still-little-publicized Poppy program that operated outside the higher-profile CORONA imaging effort

## Body
### Mission Overview
Poppy 3A was inserted into orbit to collect electronic emissions—primarily radar and communications signals—overflying denied areas. Data were stored on board for later downlink to ground stations, giving analysts insight into Soviet bloc defense postures.

### Launch Details
The Thor-Agena D stack lifted off at 20:03 UTC on 11 January 1964 from Vandenberg's Space Launch Complex 1. The two-stage vehicle placed the roughly 150-kg-class satellite into a near-polar, low-Earth orbit suited to global coverage.

### Program Context
Poppy 3A was the third flight model of the Poppy series managed by the Naval Research Laboratory. Together with sister spacecraft launched on the same rocket (1964-001A through 001F), it formed a loose constellation that enabled time-difference-of-arrival geolocation of emitters.

## References

1. Jonathan's Space Report