On Friday, Sept. 6, NASA is scheduled to launch a small
satellite mission, called the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer
(LADEE), which will orbit the moon to gather detailed information about its
atmosphere and the role of dust in the lunar sky.
LADEE is the first spacecraft designed, developed, built,
integrated and tested at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif.
Using a Modular Common Spacecraft Bus architecture, also developed by Ames,
LADEE will demonstrate how to build a first class spacecraft at reduced cost.
The LADEE spacecraft makes use of general purpose spacecraft modules that allow
for a plug-and-play approach to manufacturing and assembly. This approach along
with commercial off-the-shelf products allows mission designers to develop,
assemble and test multiple spacecraft modules at the same time – essentially
giving them the versatility to get the biggest bang for NASA's buck.