Designation:
- STEX (Space Technology Experiments) was an experimental NRO satellite built by Lockheed Martin.
- It carries experimental solar arrays and batteries and a 6 km tether. STEX is
connected to ATEX thanks to this tether. The deployement failed on 16 Jan 1999:
only 22 m were deployed because the automatic safety separation was triggered
by a dangerous separation angle. It was deployed on 22 January 1999, and subsequently jettisoned.
- STEX's main experiments are provided by the
Naval Research Lab, including Hall Effect electric thrusters derived from
Russian technology and a 6 km tether experiment, a follow-on to the earlier
TIPS
satellite. STEX also carries experimental solar arrays and batteries.
Sub satellite:
ATEX (25615 / 98055C)
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 Advanced Tether Experiment (ATEx) with partially deployed upper end-body
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