Subscribe with SteadyPearl Ruby
Pearl Ruby was a piggy-back experiment flown on the last KH-9 Hexagon reconnaissance satellite.
Likely Pearl Ruby was to test advanced Infra-red sensors on orbit as part of DARPA's Ruby series of infrared experiments.
This subsatellite was to be deployed from a rack mounted on the KH-9 Hexagon reconnaissance satellites and to use a solid-fuel kick-motor to maneuver itself into the operational orbit after deployment, but it was lost in a launch failure.
| Nation: | USA |
|---|---|
| Type / Application: | Technology ? |
| Operator: | DARPA |
| Contractors: | |
| Equipment: | ? |
| Configuration: | mod. P-11 bus ? |
| Propulsion: | Kick motor |
| Power: | Solar cells, batteries |
| Lifetime: | |
| Mass: | |
| Orbit: |
| Satellite | COSPAR | Date | LS | Launch Vehicle | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pearl Ruby | 1986-F03 | 18.04.1986 | Va SLC-4E | F | Titan-34D | with KH-9 20 |
Launch Sites:
- Va = Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, USA
References:
- Dwayne A. Day: Above Top Secret: the last flight of the Big Bird, The Space Review, 18 February 2019
