Miniature Sensor Technology Integration 3
MSTI-3 was the third and most capable spacecraft in the U.S. Air Force's Miniature Sensor Technology Integration program. A medium-wave infrared camera, short-wave infrared camera, and visible imaging spectrometer surveyed Earth and its atmosphere to characterize infrared background clutter and test whether warm-background missile tracking was practical.
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Identity
- Aliases
- MSTI-3MSTI 31996-031A
- Name
- Miniature Sensor Technology Integration 3
- Status
- completed
Details
- Astronauts
- -
- Description
- MSTI-3 was the third and most capable spacecraft in the U.S. Air Force's Miniature Sensor Technology Integration program. A medium-wave infrared camera, short-wave infrared camera, and visible imaging spectrometer surveyed Earth and its atmosphere to characterize infrared background clutter and test whether warm-background missile tracking was practical.
- Launch Site
- Outcome
- MSTI-3 reached orbit, completed on-orbit calibration during its first month, and gathered a large multispectral image archive for background-clutter modeling. The operations team reported more than 850,000 calibration and data images, including observations of terrain, clouds, fires, hurricanes, volcanoes, and special test events.
- Programs
- Start Date
- 1996-05-17
- Vehicle Families
Links
- Official Url
- https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19960035765
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- July 18, 2026 at 17:26:41 UTC
- Updated Time
- July 29, 2026 at 08:55:06 UTC
Other
- Affiliations
- Search Name
- Miniature Sensor Technology Integration 3 MSTI-3 MSTI 3 1996-031A
- Space Stations
- -
- Vehicles