The nation's first operational antisatellite weapon system was known as Program 505. It was developed by the U.S. Army, using Nike Zeus missiles originally designed for an anti-ballistic-missile role. The Army based the missiles on Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific, conducted tests, and declared the system operational on 1 August 1963. Secretary of Defense McNamara at first kept the system on alert but abandoned it in favor of the Air Force’s antisatellite system in 1964.
