RME (Relay Mirror Experiment)
Also known as USA 52 and Losat-R; RME
was launched as a dual payload with LACE (Low-power
Atmospheric Compensation Experiment). Both satellites carried defense experiments
to help validate the technology needed for a space-based antimissile laser
system. RME was designed to show stabilization, tracking, and pointing technologies
working at the performance levels needed for Strategic Defense Initiative
(SDI) missions. It 61-cm mirror tested laser pointing technology by deflecting
ground-based beams back to Earth. A problem occurred immediately after launch
when RME's attitude control malfunctioned, shutting off a reaction wheel.
The Maui Optical Observatory on top of Mount Haleakala established the first
relay on Jun. 26, 1990, with Kihei, Hawaii. RME's payload also included
the Wideband Angular Vibration Experiment (WAVE) which measured low-level
angular vibrations affecting performance of acquisition, tracking, and pointing
(ATP) systems.
| launch date |
Feb. 14, 1990 |
| launch vehicle |
Delta 6925 |
| launch site |
Cape Canaveral |
| orbit |
261 × 281 km × 43° |
| mass |
1,040 kg |
Related category
• SATELLITES
AND SPACE PROBES
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