Clementine (spacecraft)

Clementine
Mission typeTechnology demonstration
Lunar orbiter
Asteroid probe
OperatorBMDO / NASA
COSPAR ID1994-004A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.22973
Mission duration115 days
Spacecraft properties
ManufacturerNaval Research Laboratory[1]
Launch mass424 kg[2]
Dry mass227 kilograms (500 lb)
Power1,850 watts
Start of mission
Launch dateJanuary 25, 1994, 16:34:00 (1994-01-25UTC16:34Z) UTC
RocketTitan II(23)G
Launch siteVandenberg SLC-4W
End of mission
Last contactMay 10, 1995 (1995-05-11)[3]
Orbital parameters
Reference systemSelenocentric
Semi-major axis5,116.0 kilometres (3,178.9 mi)
Eccentricity0.36
Periselene altitude2,162 kilometres (1,343 mi)
Aposelene altitude4,594 kilometres (2,855 mi)
Inclination90°
Period300 minutes
Lunar orbiter
Orbital insertionFebruary 21, 1994
Orbital departureMay 3, 1994
Instruments
Charged particle telescope
Ultraviolet/Visible camera
Near-Infrared CCD camera (NIR)
Laser Image Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) system
High-resolution camera (HIRES)
Clementine mission logo
Clementine mission logo

Clementine (officially called the Deep Space Program Science Experiment (DSPSE)) was a joint space project between the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (previously the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization) and NASA, launched on January 25, 1994. Its objective was to test sensors and spacecraft components in long-term exposure to space and to make scientific observations of both the Moon and the near-Earth asteroid 1620 Geographos.

  1. ^ "Clementine". Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  2. ^ "Clementine". NASA's Solar System Exploration website. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  3. ^ "Beyond Earth: A Chronicle of Deep Space Exploration". September 20, 2018.