ACE spacecraft

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL) was respo nsible for the design and fabrication of the ACE spacecraft to accommodate the ACE Mission requirements and for the integration, test, and launch supp ort for the entire ACE Observatory. The primary ACE Mission includes a sign ificant number of science instruments - nine - whose diverse requirements h ad to be factored into the overall spacecraft bus design. Secondary mission s for monitoring space weather and measuring launch vibration environments were also accommodated within the spacecraft design. Substantial coordinati on and cooperation were required between the spacecraft and instrument engi neers, and all requirements were met. Overall, the spacecraft was kept as s imple as possible in meeting requirements to achieve a highly reliable and low-cost design.