The Inflatable Antenna Experiment (IAE) was a NASA experiment that began on May 19, 1996, consisting of an inflatable antenna made of mylar which was launched from the Space ShuttleEndeavour during the 1996 STS-77 mission, in cooperation with the satellite Spartan-207.[1][2]
The antenna correctly inflated, separating from Spartan-207, before re-entering Earth'satmosphere a few days later, on 22 May. IAE was intended to pave the way for the development of lightweight inflatable structures for space applications.[3] The IAE was constructed by LGarde, Inc., an American aerospace company based in Orange County, CA.[4][5]
References
^"IAE". Astronautix.com. Archived from the original on May 22, 2013. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
Launches are separated by dots ( • ), payloads by commas ( , ), multiple names for the same satellite by slashes ( / ). Crewed flights are underlined. Launch failures are marked with the † sign. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are (enclosed in parentheses).