Session
Technical Session III: New Missions & Applications/Military
Abstract
An overview is presented of the Air Force Space Test Program's Advanced Photovoltaic and Electronic Experiments (APEX) Mission. APEX will provide spaceflight for three military experiments on the fourth flight of the Pegasus Air-Launched Vehicle in ready 1993. The APEX spacecraft is Orbital Sciences Corporation's "PegaStar" integrated third stage, in which components of the final stage of the launch vehicle are augmented to provide a fully-functional, 3-axis stabilized experiment platform. The spacecraft configuration and capabilities are described. The mission development history to date is outlined, as is the vehicle processing prior to launch. Finally, plans for the distribution of experiment data are considered.
The Space Test Program APEX Mission Satellite
An overview is presented of the Air Force Space Test Program's Advanced Photovoltaic and Electronic Experiments (APEX) Mission. APEX will provide spaceflight for three military experiments on the fourth flight of the Pegasus Air-Launched Vehicle in ready 1993. The APEX spacecraft is Orbital Sciences Corporation's "PegaStar" integrated third stage, in which components of the final stage of the launch vehicle are augmented to provide a fully-functional, 3-axis stabilized experiment platform. The spacecraft configuration and capabilities are described. The mission development history to date is outlined, as is the vehicle processing prior to launch. Finally, plans for the distribution of experiment data are considered.
