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DARPASAT

DARPASAT [Ball]

An innovative, 198 kg spin-stabilized, inertially oriented satellite experiment, DARPASAT (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Satellite) was designed to demonstrate advanced technology. Ball Aerospace designed, fabricated, integrated, and tested the spacecraft bus, and integrated two government-supplied payloads.

Designed for a one-year demonstration with a government-supplied payload, DARPASAT incorporated and validated several new technologies. The design lifetime goal for DARPASAT was three years; however, the satellite surpassed that goal by five years due to careful management of battery life and thermal loads. DARPASAT met and exceeded all operational performance requirements and program objectives, including the use of a minimum support structure, low cost, rapid launch, and demonstration of advanced technology. Government offices have recognized DARPASAT's contribution to future operational defense and warfighter efforts.

There are unconfirmed reports, that DARPASAT carried a SIGINT payload named Carrie.

Nation: USA
Type / Application: Experimental
Operator: DARPA
Contractors: Ball Aerospace
Equipment: ?
Configuration: ?
Propulsion: ?
Power: 4 deployable fixed solar arrays, batteries
Lifetime: 3 years (planned); 8 years (achieved)
Mass: 203 kg
Orbit: 532 km × 556 km, 105.0°
Satellite COSPAR Date LS Launch Vehicle Remarks
DARPASAT (USA 102) 1994-017B 13.03.1994 Va 576E Taurus-1110 with STEP 0

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