1994 · United States Air Force
The DSPSE (Deep Space Program Science Experiment), the first of a series of Clementine technology demonstrations jointly sponsored by the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), launched in early 1994. Its principal objective is to space qualify lightweight imaging sensors and component technologies for the next generation of Department of Defense (DoD) spacecraft. The Clementine mission uses the Moon, a near-Earth asteroid (1620 Geographos), and the spacecraft's Interstage Adapter (ISA) as targets to demonstrate lightweight component and sensor performance.