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Spartan

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STS-51-G
Spartan 1 satellite moves away from orbiter over ocean
Credit: NASA

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AKA: SPTN. Status: Operational 1985. First Launch: 1985-06-17. Last Launch: 1998-10-29. Number: 10 . Gross mass: 1,195 kg (2,634 lb).

The Spartan (Shuttle Point Autonomous Research Tool for Astronomy) satellite was a reusable free-flying astronomical observatory which was deployed and then retrieved by the US Space Shuttle's Remote Manipulator System arm. The most often flow Spartan-201's main payload was the UVCS and WLC telescope package containing the SAO/Cambridge ultraviolet spectrometer and the HAO/Boulder white light coronagraph. Secondary equipment varied by mission - for example, the fifth flight had a target for the VGS laser, and sample plates to trap beryllium ions from the solar wind.

Photo Gallery

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Spartan 1 Credit: Manufacturer Image

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Spartan 201 Credit: Manufacturer Image

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Spartan 203 Credit: Manufacturer Image

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Spartan 204 Credit: Manufacturer Image

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Spartan 206 Credit: Manufacturer Image

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Spartan 208 Credit: Manufacturer Image

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Spartan 207 Credit: Manufacturer Image

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• DM-15S Test 1 - . Nation: USA. Agency: US Army. Apogee: 180 km (110 mi). First Nike Zeus DM-155 flight..

• DM-15S Test 2 - . Nation: USA. Agency: US Army. Apogee: 240 km (140 mi).

• DM-15S Test 3 - . Nation: USA. Agency: US Army. Apogee: 207 km (128 mi).

• DM-15S Sim Target - . Nation: USA. Agency: US Army. Type: ABM. Apogee: 70 km (43 mi).

• ZK-20 DM-15S Agena - . Nation: USA. Agency: US Army. Apogee: 200 km (120 mi).

• Interceptor mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: US Army. Apogee: 200 km (120 mi).

• ASAT training - . Nation: USA. Agency: US Army. Type: ABM. Apogee: 80 km (49 mi).

• Interceptor mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: US Army. Apogee: 200 km (120 mi).

• Interceptor mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: US Army. Apogee: 200 km (120 mi).

• Interceptor mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: US Army. Apogee: 200 km (120 mi).

• DM-15S Qual-2 - . Nation: USA. Agency: US Army. Apogee: 200 km (120 mi).

• DM-15S2 Qual-3 - . Nation: USA. Agency: US Army. Type: ABM. Apogee: 100 km (60 mi).

• Interceptor mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: US Army. Apogee: 200 km (120 mi).

• Interceptor mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: US Army. Apogee: 200 km (120 mi). Final Nike Zeus DM-155 flight..

• Minuteman I target vehicles for Safeguard - . SAMSO awarded Boeing Airplane Company an integration, instrumentation, and launch service contract for the launch of nine obsolescent Minuteman I missiles as target vehicles for Safeguard ABM tests..

• Spartan 1 - . Payload: Spartan 101. Mass: 1,008 kg (2,222 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Greenbelt. Class: Astronomy. Type: X-ray astronomy satellite. Spacecraft Bus: Shuttle Attached Payloads. Spacecraft: Spartan. Decay Date: 1985-06-24 . USAF Sat Cat: 15831 . COSPAR: 1985-048E. Apogee: 395 km (245 mi). Perigee: 359 km (223 mi). Inclination: 28.50 deg. Period: 92.10 min. Released by STS 51G 20 June 1985, retrieved 22 June 1985..

• Spartan-Halley - . Payload: Spartan-Halley. Nation: USA. Agency: NASA. Program: STS. Spacecraft Bus: Shuttle Attached Payloads. Spacecraft: Spartan. Apogee: 15 km (9 mi).

  The Spartan series consists of low-cost, Shuttle-launched, short-duration, sounding-rocket-type payloads. The payloads were retrievable and reusable with a turnaround time of 6 to 9 months. Spartan operated as an autonomous sub-satellite, and the data was stored on an internal tape recorder. Pointing and stabilization were achieved by an attitude control system capable of three-axis stabilized pointing to any target within +/- 3 arc-minutes. The main objective of this spacecraft was to obtain UV spectra of the coma and tail of Comet Halley in January 1986 shortly before its perihelion. This spacecraft was lost when Space Shuttle Challenger exploded on launch.

• Spartan 201 - . Mass: 1,289 kg (2,841 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Greenbelt. Program: STS. Class: Astronomy. Type: X-ray astronomy satellite. Spacecraft Bus: Shuttle Attached Payloads. Spacecraft: Spartan. Decay Date: 1993-04-13 . USAF Sat Cat: 22623 . COSPAR: 1993-023B. Apogee: 298 km (185 mi). Perigee: 291 km (180 mi). Inclination: 57.00 deg. Period: 90.40 min. Studied solar corona and galaxy; deployed from STS-56 4/11/93; Shuttle Point Autonomous Research Tool for Astronomy; retrieved 4/13/93..

• SPTN-SFSS - . Nation: USA. Agency: NASA. Program: STS. Spacecraft Bus: Shuttle Attached Payloads. Spacecraft: Spartan. Decay Date: 1993-04-17 . USAF Sat Cat: 22621 . COSPAR: 1993-023xx. Apogee: 293 km (182 mi). Perigee: 280 km (170 mi). Inclination: 57.00 deg. Period: 90.20 min.

  Spartan Flight Support Structure was an MPESS class cross-bay truss structure on which Spartan 204 was mounted. The Spartan satellites were small free flyers deployed by the RMS robot arm for a couple of days and then retrieved. SPTN-204 carried NRL's FUVIS Far Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph which was used to study the Shuttle environment and make astronomical observations. This was the first Spartan mission to be sponsored by the USAF Space Test Program rather than NASA.

• Spartan 201 - . Mass: 1,288 kg (2,839 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Greenbelt. Program: STS. Class: Astronomy. Type: X-ray astronomy satellite. Spacecraft Bus: Shuttle Attached Payloads. Spacecraft: Spartan. Decay Date: 1994-09-20 . USAF Sat Cat: 23253 . COSPAR: 1994-059B. Apogee: 265 km (164 mi). Perigee: 252 km (156 mi). Inclination: 57.00 deg. Period: 89.68 min. Deployed from STS-64 9/13/94; retrieved 9/15/94; solar studies..

• Spartan 204 - . Mass: 1,195 kg (2,634 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRL. Program: STS. Class: Astronomy. Type: X-ray astronomy satellite. Spacecraft Bus: Shuttle Attached Payloads. Spacecraft: Spartan. Decay Date: 1995-02-11 . USAF Sat Cat: 23470 . COSPAR: 1995-004B. Apogee: 389 km (241 mi). Perigee: 388 km (241 mi). Inclination: 51.70 deg. Period: 92.30 min. Retrievable payload to observe galactic dust in far UV; deployed from STS 63 2/7/95, retrieved 2/9/95..

• Spartan 201 - . Mass: 1,195 kg (2,634 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Greenbelt. Program: STS. Class: Astronomy. Type: X-ray astronomy satellite. Spacecraft Bus: Shuttle Attached Payloads. Spacecraft: Spartan. Decay Date: 1995-09-18 . USAF Sat Cat: 23668 . COSPAR: 1995-048B. Apogee: 376 km (233 mi). Perigee: 368 km (228 mi). Inclination: 28.50 deg. Period: 92.00 min. Released by STS-69 9/8/95; retrieved 9/10/95; examined solar corona..

• Spartan 207 - . Mass: 1,195 kg (2,634 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: JPL. Program: STS. Class: Astronomy. Type: X-ray astronomy satellite. Spacecraft Bus: Shuttle Attached Payloads. Spacecraft: Spartan. Decay Date: 1996-05-29 . USAF Sat Cat: 23871 . COSPAR: 1996-032B. Apogee: 288 km (178 mi). Perigee: 278 km (172 mi). Inclination: 39.00 deg. Period: 90.20 min. LEO. Deployed from STS 77 on 5/20/96; retrieved 5/21/96; deployed IAEsatellite during free flight..

• Spartan 201 - . Mass: 1,195 kg (2,634 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Greenbelt. Program: STS. Class: Astronomy. Type: X-ray astronomy satellite. Spacecraft Bus: Shuttle Attached Payloads. Spacecraft: Spartan. Decay Date: 1997-12-05 . USAF Sat Cat: 25062 . COSPAR: 1997-073B. Apogee: 284 km (176 mi). Perigee: 278 km (172 mi). Inclination: 28.50 deg. Period: 90.10 min. Retrieved by OV-102 Nov 25.

• Spartan 201 - . Mass: 1,195 kg (2,634 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Greenbelt. Program: STS. Class: Astronomy. Type: X-ray astronomy satellite. Spacecraft Bus: Shuttle Attached Payloads. Spacecraft: Spartan. Decay Date: 1998-11-07 . USAF Sat Cat: 25521 . COSPAR: 1998-064C. Apogee: 560 km (340 mi). Perigee: 549 km (341 mi). Inclination: 28.40 deg. Period: 95.74 min. Retrieved by Discovery November 3 1998..