Deep Space Atomic Clock

The Deep Space Atomic Clock (DSAC) was a miniaturized, ultra-precise mercury-ion atomic clock for precise radio navigation in deep space. DSAC was designed to be orders of magnitude more stable than existing navigation clocks, with a drift of no more than 1 nanosecond in 10 days. It is expected that a DSAC would incur no more than 1 microsecond of error in 10 years of operations. Data from DSAC is expected to improve the precision of deep space navigation, and enable more efficient use of tracking networks. The project was managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and it was deployed as part of the U.S. Air Force's Space Test Program 2 (STP-2) mission aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket on 25 June 2019.

Deep Space Atomic Clock (DSAC)
The miniaturized Deep Space Atomic Clock was designed for precise and real-time radio navigation in deep space.
Mission typeNavigation aid in deep space, gravity and occultation science
OperatorJet Propulsion Laboratory / NASA
COSPAR ID2019-036C
SATCAT no.44341
Websitewww.nasa.gov/mission_pages/tdm/clock/index.html
Mission durationPlanned: 1 year
Final: 2 years and 26 days
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftOrbital Test Bed (OTB)
ManufacturerGeneral Atomics Electromagnetic Systems
Payload mass17.5 kg
Dimensions29 × 26 × 23 cm
(11 × 10 × 9 in)
Power44 watts
Start of mission
Launch date25 June 2019, 06:30:00 UTC
RocketFalcon Heavy
Launch siteKSC, LC-39A
ContractorSpaceX
Entered service23 August 2019
End of mission
DisposalDeactivated
Deactivated18 September 2021
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Epoch25 June 2019
 

The Deep Space Atomic Clock was activated on 23 August 2019. Following a mission extension in June 2020, DSAC was deactivated on 18 September 2021 after two years in operation.

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