07 April 2026 year Fr. 14:33 (UTC) from VPB Vandenberg, California, USA using a launch vehicle «Minotaur IV» the mission was launched «STP-S29A».
Space testing program (STP) is a program of the US Space Force under the auspices of the Space Systems Command. STP performs tasks: development of missions, integration of the payload with the space systems management system, integration of spacecraft with launch vehicles, as well as orbital operations for scientific and technical payloads, which demonstrate potential military utility.
KA «STPSat-7» — the main payload of the mission «STP-S29A», an ESPA-class satellite, based on the Aegis Aerospace M-1 satellite bus, which is used for placement 5 research and demonstration technology payloads for the Ministry of Defense (DoD).
Instrument NanoUHFComms will demonstrate the capabilities of military satellite communications in low Earth orbit, including broadcast messaging and communications services “point-to-point”.
Instrument LARADO (Laser-sheet Anomaly Resolution and Debris Observation) will demonstrate the capabilities of tracking small orbital debris (<3 cm), which cannot be observed from the ground.
Instrument GARI-1C designed for space qualification of a new technology of gamma radiation detectors for space defense applications.
Instrument GOSAS is a programmable dual GPS receiver, designed to investigate the characteristics of the GNSS orbital environment and generate high-quality ionospheric space weather products.
Instrument SFPE designed to conduct an experiment with fingerprints to demonstrate increased security and information assurance in the application of critical systems.
A number of cubesats have been launched into orbit as an additional payload, developed by various universities and government institutions.
«CANVAS» (Climatology of Anthropogenic and Natural VLF wave Activity in Space) – 4U capacity, designed to monitor very low frequencies (VLF) in low Earth orbit, arising from lightning and ground transmitters.
«MISR-C» – 6U cubesat in weight 12 Kg, developed by the research laboratory of the Air Force and intended for testing radio technical monitoring technologies.
«AggieSat6» – 6U cubesat in weight 12 Kg, developed by the AggieSat laboratory of the University of Texas and intended for testing the operation of the space radio frequency antenna in Space Domain Awareness tasks, including determining the positions and orbits of other satellites. In addition, the device measures low-energy electron radiation in low Earth orbit to refine models of the radiation environment.
«THINGS» (Mini Astrophysical MeV Background Observatory) – 12U cubesat in weight 24 Kg, developed by Los Alamos National Laboratory and intended for the cosmic diffuse gamma background using a shielded scintillation spectrometer.
«Auris» – 6U cubesat in weight 3.8 Kg, developed by the Michigan State University of Technology and intended for the development of technologies for monitoring and determining the parameters of telecommunication signals, which can create interference in a congested space environment.
«CAN» (Mapping and Ocean Color Imager) – 3U cubesat in weight 4 Kg, developed by the Small Satellite Research Laboratory (SSRL) University of Georgia (UGA) to perform structural studies on motion in low Earth orbit and create 3D point clouds of large-scale structures on the Earth's surface, and to collect ocean color data.
«USNA16» – 3U cubesat in weight 6 Kg, developed by the University of Maryland in conjunction with the US Naval Academy Satellite Laboratory and designed to test a modular design and magnetic guidance scheme for S-band operation.
«INCA-2» ((Ionospheric Neutron Content Analyzer) – 3U cubesat in weight 3.8 Kg, developed by New Mexico State University (NMSU) and is designed to determine the latitude and time dependence of the neutron spectrum in low Earth orbit in order to improve current space weather models and reduce threats to space and air assets.
«ASTRA-HyRAX» – 3U cubesat in weight 3.9 Kg, developed by Auburn University and designed to test a special antenna array, capable of fixing the signal source and determining its direction.
According to CA «Rawhide» there is currently no information in open sources.
«Minotaur IV» — four-stage light-class launch vehicle, developed by Northrop Grumman. It uses three stages from the Peacekeeper intercontinental ballistic missile and an Orion upper stage 38. The rocket is capable of launching into low Earth orbit up to 1591 kg of payload. «Minotaur IV» characterized by high reliability and flexibility, supporting launches from various spaceports, including Vandenberg, Canaveral and Wallops.
The first launch took place in 2010 year, and since then the rocket has been successfully produced as a commercial one, and secret payloads, including missions for NRO and other US military projects.
According to the CCS