MUBLCOM
Encyclopedia
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of new technology for use by the military...
, was launched in May 1999 by a Pegasus rocket
Pegasus rocket
The Pegasus rocket is a winged space launch vehicle capable of carrying small, unmanned payloads into low Earth orbit. It is air-launched, as part of an expendable launch system developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation . Three main stages burning solid propellant provide the thrust...
. Its mission was to demonstrate a capability to provide space-based digital voice and data communications to combat forces or commercial users that were previously considered out of range of standard radio communications systems.
On April 15, 2005, the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft
DART (spacecraft)
DART, or Demonstration for Autonomous Rendezvous Technology, is a NASA sponsored project. The goal was to develop and demonstrate an automated navigation and rendezvous capability in a NASA spacecraft. Currently, only the Russian Space Agency, JAXA and ESA have autonomous space craft navigation...
collided with the MUBLCOM satellite while attempting to rendezvous with it.
- NORAD ID: 25736
- Dry mass: 50 kg