Sunday, December 26, 1999

STEX

 1998-055A


The NRO's STEX Space Technology Experiment, built by LMA/Denver, is a satellite to test a space tether and a xenon electric propulsion system using TsNIIMash TAL-D55 Hall Effect thrusters, integrated by Primex. Eight P-59 (MR-103D) 1N hydrazine REMs are also used for propulsion. Size is 0.9 x 0.9 x 2.4m, mass is 700 kg; launch was by Taurus. The ATEX deck is 0.81 x 0.81 x 0.03m with a mass of 29 kg; STEX without the deck is 1.23 x 1.23 x 2.05m with a mass of 490 kg, plus two 0.5 x 2.0 x 1.7m, 10 kg solar panels. Total STEX dry mass is 539 kg.


STEX 
 

DateTimeEventOrbit  

1998 Oct 3  1004  Launch by ARPA Taurus  V 576E 
  Stage 0 sep 
 1005  T+0:56 Stage 1 burn  
 1006  T+2:21 Stage 1 sep 
 1006  T+2:23 Stage 2 burn 
 1006  T+2:26 Fairing sep 
  Stage 2 cutoff 
 1014  T+10:10 Stage 2 sep 
 1014  T+10:21 Stage 3 burn 
 1015  T+ 11:34 Stage 3 cutoff 
 1017  T+13:29 Stage 3 sep  98.32 671 x 700 x 85.07 (WWW) 
 1017  T+13:41 Stage 3 CAM (avoidance) 
  T+16:51 Stage 3 CAM complete   
  T+41:34 RCS depletion 
   98.8 695 x 713 x 85.0 (UN) 
1998 Oct 7   EPDM electrical testing 
1998 Oct 23   Hall Thruster burn 40mN, 1km raise 
  Orbit raising 
1998 Nov 13   At final orbit  744 x 757 x 85.0 
1999 Jan 16  2306  Begin ATEX deploy 
 2324:06  Tether off course 
1999 Jan 16  2324:17  ATEX separated at 21m deploy 

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