STEX (with ATEx attached) [Lockheed Martin]
The STEX (Space Technology Experiments) satellite carried 29 new technologies intended to result in lower cost and higher performance spacecraft for future missions. Among the technologies were
The spacecraft was comprised of a body shell and two tracking solar panels. A blowdown liquid propulsion system was carried. The spacecraft was three-axis stablized. A lightweight precision star tracker was used to determine satellite pointing. The planned lifetime of STEX was two years
On 16 January 1999, ATEx was deployed, but failed. It was deployed but its two masses separated only by 22 m.
The STEX spacecraft was turned off in early June 1999 due to degradation of its conventional solar arrays.
Note: The NROL designations refer to the launch, not to the payload.
Nation: | USA |
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Type / Application: | Experimental |
Operator: | NRO |
Contractors: | Lockheed Martin Astronautics (Denver) |
Equipment: | ? |
Configuration: | ? |
Propulsion: | TAL-D55 plasma engine |
Power: | 2 deployable solar arrays, batteries |
Lifetime: | |
Mass: | |
Orbit: | 750 km × 766 km, 85.0° |
Satellite | COSPAR | Date | LS | Launch Vehicle | Remarks | |
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STEX (USA 140, NROL 8) | 1998-055A | 03.10.1998 | Va 576E | Taurus-1110 | with ATEx-UEB, ATEx-LEB |