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Other Designations: Low-power Atmospheric Compensation Experiment. Class: Military. Type: SDI. Nation: USA. Agency: SDIO. Manufacturer: NRL. The Low-power Atmospheric Compensation Experiment was part of a dual payload with RME carrying laser defense experiments. LACE was built by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) to act as a target for ground lasers to investigate atmospheric distortion and compensation methods. The spacecraft was gravity gradient stabilized with no attitude control thrusters. Low-power lasers were beamed from the Air Force Maui Optical Station (AMOS) and received by on-board IR and phased detectors. A laser locked onto a reflector mounted on a 46 meter boom to acquire the satellite. The sensor array returned data on the laser coverage, allowing the laser's adaptive optics to be adjusted, compensating for atmospheric distortion. NCST developed, launched and operated the Low-power Atmospheric Compensation Experiment (LACE) satellite. The LACE satellite was integrated with a USAF relay-mirror experiment payload and mounted atop a Delta II rocket for a successful launch in February 1990 from Cape Canaveral. The LACE satellite carried four experiments:
Design Life: 2 years. Typical orbit: 531x550 km, incl.=43.1 deg. Length: 2.40 m (7.80 ft). Maximum Diameter: 1.40 m (4.50 ft). Mass: 1,430 kg (3,150 lb). LACE Chronology
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