Flashing Light Unit

Flashing Light Unit (center) with deployer [NASA]

This small subsatellite ejected from the Mercury MA-9 space craft is known mostly as Flashing Light Subsatellite or Flashing Light Unit.

It weighted only 5 kg and contained batteries and two Xe-Flash lights. The purpose was to test the visual acquisition of other space vehicles by the astronaut.

Nation:	USA
Type / Application:	Rendezvous Target
Operator:	NASA
Contractors:
Equipment:	2 Xe-Flash lights, batteries
Configuration:
Propulsion:	None
Power:	Batteries
Lifetime:
Mass:	5 kg
Orbit:

Satellite	COSPAR	Date	LS		Launch Vehicle	Remarks
Flashing Light Unit	1963-015^#	15.05.1963	CC LC-14		Atlas-D Mercury	with Mercury MA9, Balloon Subsat 2

Launch Sites:

CC = Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Eastern Test Range, Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA

References:

NASA

Further Mercury missions:

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