Throughout his 30-year career with the U.S. Air Force, Maj. Gen. Robert "Rosie" Rosenberg was instrumental to the U.S. satellite program. He participated in the initial development, test and launch of Atlas-Agena satellite system with the Air Force Ballistic Missile Division and served for years as targeteer for the GAMBIT reconnaissance satellite program. Maj. Gen. Rosenberg also served with the Office of Special Projects, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, where he was responsible for developing and acquiring the mission planning and command and control software for the HEXAGON program.

While serving as Director of the Defense Mapping Agency, an NGA heritage organization, from 1985 to 1987, Maj. Gen. Rosenberg developed an even deeper appreciation for the capabilities of HEXAGON. “[HEXAGON] enabled us to dramatically improve our knowledge of the earth, enabling us to provide the combat forces with previously unheard of location accuracies,” he said in 2011.

Maj. Gen. Rosenberg was inducted into the GEOINT Hall of Fame in 2005.