MSX (Midcourse Space Experiment)

The magnetotatic bacterium Magnetospirillum magnetotacticum.

MSX (Midcourse Space Experiment) was a BMDO (Ballistic Missile Defense Organization)-sponsored mission designed to demonstrate various multispectral imaging technologies for identifying and tracking ballistic missiles during flight. It also studied the composition and dynamics of Earth's atmosphere by observing ozone, chlorofluorocarbons, carbon dioxide and methane. Onboard instruments consisted of 11 optical sensors for making observations at infrared, visible, and ultraviolet wavelengths from 110 nanometers to 28 micrometers.

launch date Apr 24, 1996

launch vehicle Delta 7925

launch site Vandenberg

orbit 897 × 907 km × 99.4°

mass 2,700 kg