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Yes, they are satellites. I have seen the group of three on a number of occasions and also the 2 you describe. They are called Naval Ocean Surveillance System or NOSS for short. The US currently operates three sets of spy satellites, launched consecutively in 1990, 1991 and 1996. These satellites orbit pole-to-pole in groups of three at an altitude of 1,100 kilometers, monitoring the position, speed and direction of all military ships at sea by detecting radio and radar signals and then triangulating the point of origin..
<DT>The components of the trio orbit separately under Newton's Laws, and are not technically "in formation." However, their orbits are planned to crisscross during every circuit, being widest apart over ocean areas of greatest interest. </DT>Paul Medcraft
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