Names | JWS-D1 RoadRunner |
---|---|
Mission type | Technology, Communications |
Operator | Air Force Research Laboratory |
COSPAR ID | 2006-058A |
SATCAT no. | 29653 |
Mission duration | 1 year (planned) 4 years (achieved) |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft | TacSat 2 |
Bus | Road Runner Bus (NGMB, Next Generation Multifunctional Bus) |
Manufacturer | MicroSat Systems Inc. (MSI) (bus) |
Launch mass | 370 kg (820 lb) |
Power | 500 watts |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 16 December 2006, 12:00:00 UTC |
Rocket | Minotaur I # 6 |
Launch site | MARS, Wallops Island, LP-0B |
Contractor | Orbital Sciences Corporation |
End of mission | |
Decay date | 5 February 2011 |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric orbit[1] |
Regime | Low Earth orbit |
Perigee altitude | 413 km (257 mi) |
Apogee altitude | 424 km (263 mi) |
Inclination | 40.00° |
Period | 92.90 minutes |
TacSat-2 is the first in a series of U.S. military experimental technology and communication satellites.TacSat-2 (also known as JWS-D1 ((Joint Warfighting Space-Demonstrator 1) or RoadRunner)[2] was an experimental satellite built by the USAF's Air Force Research Laboratory with an operational life expected to be not more than one year as part of the "Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration" program.