In the mid 1960s, once investigations of the space environment began to settle down, it became apparent that space systems technologies needed to be developed at a rapid rate. The Department of Defense (DOD) realized, however, that systems needed to be thoroughly tested in space before being developed and deployed. At that time, no adequate organization or funding was available to provide timely space flight for military research. So, in 1966, the DOD Space Test Program (STP) was created by a memorandum from the Director of Defense Research and Engineering. The Air Force was made executive agent for the program. The goal was to provide flight opportunities for all DOD research and development activities in an economic and efficient manner.
Since its inception, STP has flown well over 400 experiments on more than 150 missions. For a payload to be flown by STP, it must first be sponsored by a DOD organization. Once DOD sponsorship is obtained, the flight request advances through a series of review boards until it reaches the DOD level. The DOD Space Experiments Review Board makes the final selections and gives STP a prioritized list of the payloads to fly. This process happens annually, and STP flies as many payloads each year as funding and opportunity allow.
STP missions have contributed to the advancement of space technologies in many fields, including satellite design, operating systems, and launch systems. Missions flown by STP were at the forefront of navigation, surveillance, nuclear detection, communication, weather observation, and ground radar calibration. Other payloads flown by STP have collected data to enhance scientific understanding of the space environment, investigating phenomena such as radiation, composition, and solar effects.
Looking toward the future, STP is currently launching missions with experiments that deal with emerging technologies such as microelectromechanical systems, superconductors, power systems, navigation, composites, and communications.