DSP satellites, which are operated by the Air Force Space Command, detect missile or spacecraft launches and nuclear explosions using sensors that detect the infrared emissions from these intense sources of heat. During Desert Storm, for example, DSP was able to detect the launches of Iraqi Scud missiles and provide timely warnings to civilians and military forces in Israel and Saudi Arabia. Typically, DSP satellites were launched on Titan IVB boosters with Inertial Upper Stages. However, one DSP satellite was launched using the Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-44 (November 24, 1991).
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