The satellite was launched Nov. 15 on an Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana. Managed by the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., the experiments will enable engineers to better evaluate the effects of space radiation on advanced microelectronics.
Radiation can cause trouble for printed circuit boards and other electronic equipment on satellites.
That's the best way we can accurately know their limits. Engineers will use telemetry data received from the satellite to improve designs for spacecraft circuitry. The experiments also will help meet NASA's goals of reducing costs, weight, power requirements and production time for future spacecraft while improving their reliability. The experiment package is part of a joint mission involving NASA, the U.S. Department of Defense's Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, the U.S. Air Force, the United Kingdom's Defence Evaluation and Research Agency and several other international organizations. As it circles the Earth every 10.5 hours, the satellite passes through the Van Allen Belts, zones of intense radiation trapped in Earth's magnetosphere and extending several thousands miles into space.