A pair of scientific satellites being built by Spectrum Astro have cleared critical milestones, the company announced. The Swift gamma-ray burst spacecraft completed environmental testing at God-dard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., June 23. The satellite, part of NASAs medium-class explorer program, is scheduled for an Oct. 7 launch aboard a Boeing Delta 2 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. Swift, which is designed to detect gamma-ray bursts and study their aftermath, will carry three instruments: the Burst Alert Telescope to detect the events; and an X-ray telescope and an ultraviolet optical telescope to make observations, said Mark Edison, the program manager for Gilbert, Ariz.-based Spectrum Astro.
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