Small Expendable Deployer System
Launch data:
| Designation
|
23028
/ 94016B
|
|
Launch
date
|
10
Mar 1994 at 03:40 UT
|
| Launch site | CC, LC17A |
| Launch vehicle |
Delta-7925 (#226) |
| Mission | Tether experiment |
| Operator | NASA |
| Earth orbit: |
|
Perigee/Apogee
|
347
/ 352 km
|
|
Inclination
|
34.9°
|
|
Period
|
|
|
Mass
at launch
|
23
kg
|
It is a package attached to the Delta second stage rocket which was to deploy a
20 km tether to compare actual tether dynamics with theoretical models. The end
mass behaved as expected and unreeled in 1 h 48 min to a maximum length of
19.8 km.
Unlike
Seds 1
for which the tether was severed after deploy, the tether remained attached to
the Delta rocket. The end mass mini-satellite transmitted for 10 hours. On 15
Mar 1995 Seds separated from the tether because of an impact and reentred.
The success of Seds 2 confirms that tether systems can be used to deploy
sensors which require a particular orientation to the local vertical, such as
atmospheric composition experiments.
End of life
|
Out
of service
|
15
Mar 1994
|
|
Decay
| 08
May 1994
|
Ref: #15 - update: 24.10.04