Space Technology Research Vehicle

STRV redirects here: for the Swedish tanks called STRV see All pages beginning with "Stridsvagn"

Space Technology Research Vehicle, or STRV was a series of British microsatellites which operated in elliptical orbits around the Earth. The satellites were built by the Defence Research Agency at Farnborough, for the UK Ministry of Defence.

Mission

Built by the DRA, the satellites were designed to test new technologies in the harsh environment of an orbit. Each satellite had an expected 1 year life-time and carries myriad detectors, sensors and other equipment. The satellites were controlled from the DRA groundstation in the UK. The STRV satellites' experiments measured various environmental variables in the upper atmosphere.

Payloads

Two satellites were launched in June 1994 and another two were launched in November 2000, from the space center in French Guyana.

STRV 1A & 1B

STRV 1A and STRV 1B are cube-shaped mini-satellites each with a mass of 50 kg. They were launched into orbit to test new solar cells and measure static charge on its surfaces.

STRV 1C & 1D

STRV 1C and STRV 1D both have a mass of 100 kg and carry test technology devices including lithium ion batteries and a GPS receiver.

Current Status

The satellites form a part of the growing amounts of orbital debris in orbit of Earth.