* Astronomy

AeroAstro, Inc. today announced the successful completion of the Pre-Ship Review on the STPSat-1 satellite by the Air Force. The low-earth-orbiting STPSat-1 space vehicle has been developed under contract to the Department of Defence (DoD) Space Test Program (STP) headquartered at Kirtland AFB, and is the first STP mission specifically designed to fly space experiments on the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) Secondary Payload Adapter (ESPA). STPSat-1 has been shipped to Cape Canaveral for integration to the ESPA prior to a scheduled 2007 Atlas launch.

AeroAstro is the prime contractor on STPSat-1. This spacecraft, which hosts three different DoD experiments, is scheduled for completion and launch in 2006.
STPSat-1 continues STP's mission to provide access to space for DoD-sponsored experiments. This spacecraft hosts three experiments: Spatial Heterodyne Imager for Atmospheric Radicals (SHIMMER), Computerized Ionospheric Tomography Receiver in Space (CITRIS), and Micro-Electric-Mechanical System (MEMS)-based PICOSAT Inspector (MEPSI). Consistent with STP's mission, these experiments will demonstrate new technologies for future space applications.

The STPSat-1 design is a function of both the mission requirements and the optimisation parameters. Stated generally, two considerations drive the STPSat-1 design:

1) satisfying the requirements of the selected payloads (e.g., pointing, thermal, power, etc.)
2) developing a system that is compatible with the existing interfaces (launch vehicle, communications, mission operations, etc.).

Two optimisation parameters complete this definition process:
1) staying within the cost envelope
2) minimizing technical risk.

AeroAstro is the prime contractor for STPSat-1, a highly capable three-axis stabilized space platform. AeroAstro is responsible for spacecraft design and fabrication, integration of all experiments, space vehicle testing, launch integration support, launch and early orbit operations support, and post-launch mission operations support.
System integration activities for STPSat-1 are currently underway, and payload integration will commence soon.

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