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MSTI-3 satellite mission comes to a close

Astro News Jan. 16, 1998

 Chet R. DelSignore
Public Affairs Office

 The Miniature Sensor Technology Integration-3 satellite ended its highly successful mission Dec. 11, after more than a year in space.

MSTI-3's de-orbit began with the first 23-minute thruster burn at 8:30 p.m., PST, Dec. 1. A second 23-minute thruster burn followed on Dec. 11, at 6:11 a.m., PST, that propelled it into the Earth's atmosphere. It was expected that the spacecraft would burn up during re-entry and a portion of the titanium fuel tanks and the mechanical reaction wheels could make it to Earth. If anything did come down intact, it would have splashed down in the ocean, South of Hawaii. There were no reported sightings of any debris.

Officials from the Space and Missile Systems Center's Space Based Infrared Program Office gave the go-ahead to bring MSTI-3 down with agreement from U.S. Space Command, Cheyenne Mountain, Colo., and NASA officials in Houston.
The Air Force launched MSTI-3 aboard a Pegasus rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., on May 16, 1996. The satellite had a one- year operational design life, but its operation was extended due to its usefulness to various customers beyond those associated with its primary mission.

MSTI-3 surveyed the Earth, collecting data to support analysis of ground features, such as terrain and bodies of water, and atmospheric features, such as clouds and aurora.

This analysis helped the Air Force determine the appearance of these features as the infrared varies with season, time of day, and aspect angle.

The data quality from MSTI-3 exceeded expectations and helped to design future space-based infrared systems to improve our nation's missile warning and defense capability.

The MSTI-3 satellite weighed 466 pounds, including fuel, and had three instruments: a short wave infrared camera, a medium wave infrared camera, and a visible wedge spectrometer camera. All of the instruments shared a single telescope.
A variety of organizations contributed to the development and operations of MSTI-3. The Air Force Space Based Infrared System Program Office at Los Angeles Air Force Base managed the MSTI-3 satellite research program. The Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., directed its design and led on-orbit mission operations.
Orbital Sciences Corporation of Dulles, Va., launched MSTI-3 on the air-launched Pegasus booster.

Spectrum Astro, Incorporated of Gilbert, Ariz., and Wyle Laboratories of El Segundo, Calif., designed and built the satellite bus. Science Applications International Corporation of San Diego, Calif., designed and built the satellite payload. Detachment 2, Space and Missile Systems Center, Onizuka Air Force Station, Calif., controlled MSTI-3 through the Air Force Satellite Control Network, and Anser Corporation of Arlington, Va., performed mission planning and data processing at their Alexandria, Va., facility.  Anser also operated a downlink site near Fairbanks, Alaska equipped to receive the large amount of data produced by MSTI-3.