AFRL completed a two-year space experiment that will help better understand the effects of radiation on space hardware in medium Earth orbit.

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WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory announced July 19 it has completed a two-year experiment that will help better understand the effects of radiation on space hardware in medium Earth orbit.

Known as the Demonstration and Science Experiments (DSX) mission, the spacecraft was one of 24 payloads launched June 25, 2019, on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rideshare.

AFRL had spent 16 years developing and testing DSX. The mission was to study the harsh radiation environment of medium orbits — from about 2000 to 35000 kilometers above Earth — where the Defense Department operates critical spacecraft like the Global Positioning System.