Starlight Combiner & Collector [Ball]
Starlight (formerly ST-3 and DS-3) was to develop and flight validate technologies for precision formation flying and separated spacecraft interferometry that will enable future astrophysics missions.
The separated spacecraft mission is designed to provide a technology demonstration for deep space precision formations and very long baseline optical interferometry. The interferometer would be distributed over two small spacecraft: one spacecraft would serve as a collector, directing starlight toward a second one, called the Combiner, which would collect starlight separately and combine the light to perform the integerometric detection. The interferometer baselines would be variable, allowing spacecraft separations of 40 m to 1 km in a parabolic formation, and providing angular resolutions from 5 to 0.5 nanoradian (1 to 0.1 milliarcsec).
It was originally planned for a launch in 2003 on a Delta-7325-10C rocket. It was reduced to a ground demonstration of interferometry technology.
Nation: | USA |
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Type / Application: | Astronomy, interferometer |
Operator: | NASA |
Contractors: | Ball Aerospace |
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Power: | Solar cells, batteries |
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Orbit: | Heliocentric, earth leading orbit |
Satellite | COSPAR | Date | LS | Launch Vehicle | Remarks | |
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Starlight Combiner | - | cancelled | CC SLC-17 | Delta-7325-10C | with Starlight Collector | |
Starlight Collector | - | cancelled | CC SLC-17 | Delta-7325-10C | with Starlight Combiner |