Advanced Photovoltaic & Electronic Experiment

Advanced Photovoltaic and Electronics Experiments, also known as APEX, was a satellite-based science mission launched into Low Earth orbit on August 3, 1994, by a Pegasus rocket. The mission successfully tested the use of photovoltaic and electronic components in space.^[1]

APEX

Operator	NASA / DARPA
COSPAR ID	1994-046A
SATCAT no.	23191
Mission duration	1 year (design life) 3 years (target) 22 months (achieved)
Spacecraft properties
Bus	PegaStar
Manufacturer	Orbital Sciences
Launch mass	260 kilograms (570 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	August 3, 1994, 14:38 (1994-08-03UTC14:38Z) UTC
Rocket	Pegasus
Launch site	Balls 8, Edwards Runway 04/22
Contractor	Orbital Sciences
End of mission
Last contact	June 4, 1996 (1996-06-05)
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth