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Pegasus
Air-launched orbital launch vehicle. Family: Air-Launched. Country: USA. Status: Active.

Privately-funded, air-launched winged light satellite launcher.

Manufacturer: Orbital. Launches: 41. Failures: 4. Success Rate: 90.24%. First Launch Date: 1990-04-05. Last Launch Date: 2007-04-25. Launch data is: continuing. LEO Payload: 375 kg (826 lb). to: 200 km Orbit. Associated Spacecraft: Alexis, APEX, CDS, Eagle, GLOMR, HETE, Microlab, Microstar, MSTI, Orbcomm, Pegsat, SCD. Liftoff Thrust: 486.640 kN (109,401 lbf). Total Mass: 19,000 kg (41,000 lb). Core Diameter: 1.27 m (4.16 ft). Total Length: 15.50 m (50.80 ft). Development Cost $: 55.000 million. in: 1999 average dollars. Launch Price $: 11.000 million. in: 1994 price dollars.

  • Stage0: 1 x NB-52. Gross Mass: 177,273 kg (390,820 lb). Empty Mass: 70,545 kg (155,525 lb). Motor: 8 x J57-19. Thrust (vac): 430.472 kN (96,774 lbf). Isp: 5,142 sec. Burn time: 48,000 sec. Length: 47.74 m (156.62 ft). Diameter: 14.72 m (48.29 ft). Propellants: Air/Kerosene.
  • Stage1: 1 x Orion 50S. Gross Mass: 14,020 kg (30,900 lb). Empty Mass: 1,868 kg (4,118 lb). Motor: 1 x Pegasus-1. Thrust (vac): 484.909 kN (109,012 lbf). Isp: 294 sec. Burn time: 72 sec. Length: 8.88 m (29.13 ft). Diameter: 1.27 m (4.16 ft). Propellants: Solid.
  • Stage2: 1 x Orion 50. Gross Mass: 3,370 kg (7,420 lb). Empty Mass: 345 kg (760 lb). Motor: 1 x Pegasus-2. Thrust (vac): 118.199 kN (26,572 lbf). Isp: 292 sec. Burn time: 73 sec. Length: 2.65 m (8.69 ft). Diameter: 1.27 m (4.16 ft). Propellants: Solid.
  • Stage3: 1 x Pegasus-3. Gross Mass: 985 kg (2,171 lb). Empty Mass: 203 kg (447 lb). Motor: 1 x Pegasus-3. Thrust (vac): 34.568 kN (7,771 lbf). Isp: 293 sec. Burn time: 65 sec. Length: 2.08 m (6.82 ft). Diameter: 0.97 m (3.18 ft). Propellants: Solid.
Version:

Pegasus H.
Pegasus
Credit - Orbital Sciences Corporation
Status: Retired 2000.

Four stage vehicle consisting of 1 x L-1011 + 1 x Orion 50S + 1 x Orion 50 + 1 x Orion 38

Launches: 4. First Launch Date: 1995-04-03. Last Launch Date: 2000-10-09. LEO Payload: 350 kg (770 lb). Apogee: 4,000 km (2,400 mi). Liftoff Thrust: 580.000 kN (130,380 lbf). Total Mass: 18,500 kg (40,700 lb). Core Diameter: 1.28 m (4.19 ft). Total Length: 15.50 m (50.80 ft).

  • Stage0: 1 x L-1011. Gross Mass: 156,000 kg (343,000 lb). Empty Mass: 109,629 kg (241,690 lb). Motor: 3 x RB-211-22B. Thrust (vac): 561.900 kN (126,320 lbf). Isp: 9,900 sec. Burn time: 4,590 sec. Length: 54.00 m (177.00 ft). Diameter: 16.86 m (55.31 ft). Propellants: Air/Kerosene.
  • Stage1: 1 x Orion 50S. Gross Mass: 14,020 kg (30,900 lb). Empty Mass: 1,868 kg (4,118 lb). Motor: 1 x Pegasus-1. Thrust (vac): 484.909 kN (109,012 lbf). Isp: 294 sec. Burn time: 72 sec. Length: 8.88 m (29.13 ft). Diameter: 1.27 m (4.16 ft). Propellants: Solid.
  • Stage2: 1 x Orion 50. Gross Mass: 3,370 kg (7,420 lb). Empty Mass: 345 kg (760 lb). Motor: 1 x Pegasus-2. Thrust (vac): 118.199 kN (26,572 lbf). Isp: 292 sec. Burn time: 73 sec. Length: 2.65 m (8.69 ft). Diameter: 1.27 m (4.16 ft). Propellants: Solid.
  • Stage3: 1 x Pegasus-3. Gross Mass: 985 kg (2,171 lb). Empty Mass: 203 kg (447 lb). Motor: 1 x Pegasus-3. Thrust (vac): 34.568 kN (7,771 lbf). Isp: 293 sec. Burn time: 65 sec. Length: 2.08 m (6.82 ft). Diameter: 0.97 m (3.18 ft). Propellants: Solid.
Version:

Pegasus/HAPS. Status: Retired 1994.

Five stage version consisting of 1 x NB-52 + 1 x Orion 50S + 1 x Orion 50 + 1 x Orion 38 + 1 x HAPS

Launches: 2. First Launch Date: 1991-07-17. Last Launch Date: 1994-05-19. LEO Payload: 250 kg (550 lb). Apogee: 4,000 km (2,400 mi). Liftoff Thrust: 580.000 kN (130,380 lbf). Total Mass: 18,500 kg (40,700 lb). Core Diameter: 1.28 m (4.19 ft). Total Length: 15.50 m (50.80 ft).

  • Stage0: 1 x L-1011. Gross Mass: 156,000 kg (343,000 lb). Empty Mass: 109,629 kg (241,690 lb). Motor: 3 x RB-211-22B. Thrust (vac): 561.900 kN (126,320 lbf). Isp: 9,900 sec. Burn time: 4,590 sec. Length: 54.00 m (177.00 ft). Diameter: 16.86 m (55.31 ft). Propellants: Air/Kerosene.
  • Stage1: 1 x Orion 50S. Gross Mass: 14,020 kg (30,900 lb). Empty Mass: 1,868 kg (4,118 lb). Motor: 1 x Pegasus-1. Thrust (vac): 484.909 kN (109,012 lbf). Isp: 294 sec. Burn time: 72 sec. Length: 8.88 m (29.13 ft). Diameter: 1.27 m (4.16 ft). Propellants: Solid.
  • Stage2: 1 x Orion 50. Gross Mass: 3,370 kg (7,420 lb). Empty Mass: 345 kg (760 lb). Motor: 1 x Pegasus-2. Thrust (vac): 118.199 kN (26,572 lbf). Isp: 292 sec. Burn time: 73 sec. Length: 2.65 m (8.69 ft). Diameter: 1.27 m (4.16 ft). Propellants: Solid.
  • Stage3: 1 x Pegasus-3. Gross Mass: 985 kg (2,171 lb). Empty Mass: 203 kg (447 lb). Motor: 1 x Pegasus-3. Thrust (vac): 34.568 kN (7,771 lbf). Isp: 293 sec. Burn time: 65 sec. Length: 2.08 m (6.82 ft). Diameter: 0.97 m (3.18 ft). Propellants: Solid.
  • Stage4: 1 x Pegasus-4. Gross Mass: 90 kg (198 lb). Empty Mass: 17 kg (37 lb). Motor: 3 x MR-107. Thrust (vac): 666 N (149 lbf). Isp: 236 sec. Burn time: 241 sec. Length: 0.25 m (0.82 ft). Diameter: 0.97 m (3.18 ft). Propellants: Hydrazine.
Version:

Pegasus XL.
Pegasus XL
Status: Active.

Uprated version of Pegasus air-launched winged light satellite launcher. 4 stage vehicle consisting of 1 x L-1011 + 1 x Pegasus XL stage 1 + 1 x Orion 50XL + 1 x Orion 38.

Launches: 22. Failures: 3. First Launch Date: 1994-06-27. Last Launch Date: 2007-04-25. LEO Payload: 443 kg (976 lb). to: 185 km Orbit. at: 28.50 degrees. Payload: 190 kg (410 lb). to a: Sun synchronous, 800 km, 98.5 deg orbital trajectory. Associated Spacecraft: CPAC, Eagle, FAST, FORTE, Galex, HESSI, HETE, Microstar, Minisat, Orbcomm, Orbview, Orbview-2, REX, SAC-B, SCISAT, SNOE, SORCE, STEP, SWAS, Teledesic, TERRIERS, TOMS-EP, TRACE, WIRE. Liftoff Thrust: 486.640 kN (109,401 lbf). Total Mass: 24,000 kg (52,000 lb). Core Diameter: 1.27 m (4.16 ft). Total Length: 17.60 m (57.70 ft). Launch Price $: 12.000 million. in: 1994 price dollars.

  • Stage0: 1 x L-1011. Gross Mass: 156,000 kg (343,000 lb). Empty Mass: 109,629 kg (241,690 lb). Motor: 3 x RB-211-22B. Thrust (vac): 561.900 kN (126,320 lbf). Isp: 9,900 sec. Burn time: 4,590 sec. Length: 54.00 m (177.00 ft). Diameter: 16.86 m (55.31 ft). Propellants: Air/Kerosene.
  • Stage1: 1 x Orion 50SXL. Gross Mass: 17,934 kg (39,537 lb). Empty Mass: 2,886 kg (6,362 lb). Motor: 1 x Pegasus XL-1. Thrust (vac): 589.007 kN (132,414 lbf). Isp: 293 sec. Burn time: 73 sec. Length: 8.88 m (29.13 ft). Diameter: 1.27 m (4.16 ft). Propellants: Solid.
  • Stage2: 1 x Pegasus XL-2. Gross Mass: 4,331 kg (9,548 lb). Empty Mass: 416 kg (917 lb). Motor: 1 x Pegasus XL-2. Thrust (vac): 153.503 kN (34,509 lbf). Isp: 290 sec. Burn time: 73 sec. Length: 3.58 m (11.74 ft). Diameter: 1.27 m (4.16 ft). Propellants: Solid.
  • Stage3: 1 x Pegasus-3. Gross Mass: 985 kg (2,171 lb). Empty Mass: 203 kg (447 lb). Motor: 1 x Pegasus-3. Thrust (vac): 34.568 kN (7,771 lbf). Isp: 293 sec. Burn time: 65 sec. Length: 2.08 m (6.82 ft). Diameter: 0.97 m (3.18 ft). Propellants: Solid.
Version:

Pegasus XL/HAPS. Status: Active.

Five stage version consisting of 1 x L-1011 + 1 x Pegasus XL stage 1 + 1 x Orion 50XL + 1 x Orion 38 + 1 x HAPS

Launches: 6. First Launch Date: 1997-12-23. Last Launch Date: 2005-04-15. LEO Payload: 350 kg (770 lb). Apogee: 4,000 km (2,400 mi). Liftoff Thrust: 726.000 kN (163,211 lbf). Total Mass: 23,000 kg (50,000 lb). Core Diameter: 1.28 m (4.19 ft). Total Length: 17.40 m (57.00 ft).

  • Stage0: 1 x L-1011. Gross Mass: 156,000 kg (343,000 lb). Empty Mass: 109,629 kg (241,690 lb). Motor: 3 x RB-211-22B. Thrust (vac): 561.900 kN (126,320 lbf). Isp: 9,900 sec. Burn time: 4,590 sec. Length: 54.00 m (177.00 ft). Diameter: 16.86 m (55.31 ft). Propellants: Air/Kerosene.
  • Stage1: 1 x Orion 50SXL. Gross Mass: 17,934 kg (39,537 lb). Empty Mass: 2,886 kg (6,362 lb). Motor: 1 x Pegasus XL-1. Thrust (vac): 589.007 kN (132,414 lbf). Isp: 293 sec. Burn time: 73 sec. Length: 8.88 m (29.13 ft). Diameter: 1.27 m (4.16 ft). Propellants: Solid.
  • Stage2: 1 x Pegasus XL-2. Gross Mass: 4,331 kg (9,548 lb). Empty Mass: 416 kg (917 lb). Motor: 1 x Pegasus XL-2. Thrust (vac): 153.503 kN (34,509 lbf). Isp: 290 sec. Burn time: 73 sec. Length: 3.58 m (11.74 ft). Diameter: 1.27 m (4.16 ft). Propellants: Solid.
  • Stage3: 1 x Pegasus-3. Gross Mass: 985 kg (2,171 lb). Empty Mass: 203 kg (447 lb). Motor: 1 x Pegasus-3. Thrust (vac): 34.568 kN (7,771 lbf). Isp: 293 sec. Burn time: 65 sec. Length: 2.08 m (6.82 ft). Diameter: 0.97 m (3.18 ft). Propellants: Solid.
Version:

Hyper X. Test vehicle. Status: Retired 2004.

Two stage vehicle consisting of 1 x NB-52 + 1 x Orion 50S

Launches: 3. Failures: 1. First Launch Date: 2001-06-02. Last Launch Date: 2004-11-16. Apogee: 40 km (24 mi). Liftoff Thrust: 726.000 kN (163,211 lbf). Total Mass: 18,800 kg (41,400 lb). Core Diameter: 1.28 m (4.19 ft). Total Length: 14.90 m (48.80 ft).

  • Stage0: 1 x NB-52. Gross Mass: 177,273 kg (390,820 lb). Empty Mass: 70,545 kg (155,525 lb). Motor: 8 x J57-19. Thrust (vac): 430.472 kN (96,774 lbf). Isp: 5,142 sec. Burn time: 48,000 sec. Length: 47.74 m (156.62 ft). Diameter: 14.72 m (48.29 ft). Propellants: Air/Kerosene.
  • Stage1: 1 x Orion 50S. Gross Mass: 14,020 kg (30,900 lb). Empty Mass: 1,868 kg (4,118 lb). Motor: 1 x Pegasus-1. Thrust (vac): 484.909 kN (109,012 lbf). Isp: 294 sec. Burn time: 72 sec. Length: 8.88 m (29.13 ft). Diameter: 1.27 m (4.16 ft). Propellants: Solid.
Pegasus Chronology

1990 April 5 - 19:10 GMT - Point Arguello WADZ -. Pegasus 001/F1 Pegsat Mass: 178 kg (392 lb). Spacecraft: Pegsat. Agency: NASA GSF. Perigee: 401 km (249 mi). Apogee: 507 km (315 mi). Inclination: 94.10 deg. Period: 93.70 min. Chemical release experiment. Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B).

1991 July 17 - 17:33 GMT - Point Arguello WADZ -. Pegasus/HAPS 002/F2 Microsat 1 Mass: 22 kg (48 lb). Spacecraft: Microsat. Agency: DARPA. Perigee: 356 km (221 mi). Apogee: 454 km (282 mi). Inclination: 82.00 deg. Period: 92.70 min. Test of LEO network for global communications.

1993 February 9 - 14:30 GMT - Mayport DZ -. Pegasus 003/F3 Orbcomm OXP-1 Mass: 15 kg (33 lb). Spacecraft: CDS. Agency: Orbcomm. Perigee: 731 km (454 mi). Apogee: 794 km (493 mi). Inclination: 25.00 deg. Period: 100.10 min. Experimental spacecraft. Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B).

1993 April 25 - 13:56 GMT - Point Arguello WADZ -. Pegasus 004/F4 Alexis Mass: 115 kg (253 lb). Spacecraft: Alexis. Agency: USAF STP. Perigee: 741 km (460 mi). Apogee: 746 km (463 mi). Inclination: 69.80 deg. Period: 99.70 min. Test of X-ray imaging sensors; solar array deployment malfunction. Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B).

1994 May 19 - 17:03 GMT - Point Arguello WADZ -. Pegasus/HAPS 005/F5 STEP 2 (SIDEX) Mass: 180 kg (390 lb). Spacecraft: Eagle. Agency: USAF STP. Perigee: 597 km (370 mi). Apogee: 813 km (505 mi). Inclination: 82.00 deg. Period: 98.90 min. Did not achieve planned orbit, though still useful. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).

1994 June 27 - 21:15 GMT - Point Arguello WADZ -. Pegasus XL F6 FAILURE: Destroyed on launch. STEP 1 Spacecraft: Eagle. Agency: OSC. Apogee: 38 km (23 mi). Destroyed on launch

1994 August 3 - 14:38 GMT - Point Arguello WADZ -. Pegasus F7 P90-6 APEX Mass: 260 kg (570 lb). Spacecraft: APEX. Agency: USAF STP. Perigee: 360 km (220 mi). Apogee: 2,534 km (1,574 mi). Inclination: 69.98 deg. Period: 114.82 min. Advanced Photovoltaic and Electronic Experiments; studied radiation and plasma effects on solar power systems.

1995 April 3 - 13:48 GMT - Point Arguello WADZ -. Pegasus H F8 Orbcomm F1 Mass: 40 kg (88 lb). Spacecraft: Microstar. Agency: Orbcomm. Perigee: 728 km (452 mi). Apogee: 747 km (464 mi). Inclination: 69.98 deg. Period: 99.56 min. Commercial communications testbed. Plane F. Ascending node 199.1 degrees.

1995 June 22 - 19:58 GMT - Point Arguello WADZ -. Pegasus XL F9 FAILURE: Second stage failure; destroyed by range safety. STEP 3 Mass: 267 kg (588 lb). Spacecraft: STEP. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 144 km (89 mi). Space Test Experiment Platform.

1996 March 9 - 01:53 GMT - Point Arguello WADZ -. Pegasus XL F10 REX-II Spacecraft: REX. Agency: USAF STP. Perigee: 799 km (496 mi). Apogee: 835 km (518 mi). Inclination: 90.00 deg. Period: 101.20 min. LEO

1996 May 17 - 02:44 GMT - Point Arguello WADZ -. Pegasus H F11 MSTI-3 Spacecraft: MSTI. Agency: BMDO. Perigee: 420 km (260 mi). Apogee: 432 km (268 mi). Inclination: 97.10 deg. Period: 90.70 min. LEO. Sensor technology tests

1996 July 2 - 07:48 GMT - Point Arguello WADZ -. Pegasus XL F12 TOMS-EP Mass: 248 kg (546 lb). Spacecraft: TOMS-EP. Agency: NASA-GSF. Perigee: 705 km (438 mi). Apogee: 746 km (463 mi). Inclination: 98.30 deg. Period: 99.30 min. LEO. Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer-Earth Probe; atmospheric ozone mapping.

1996 August 21 - 09:47 GMT - Point Arguello WADZ -. Pegasus XL F13 FAST Spacecraft: FAST. Agency: NASA-GSF. Perigee: 353 km (219 mi). Apogee: 4,163 km (2,586 mi). Inclination: 83.00 deg. Period: 132.70 min. Second Small Explorer mission.

1996 November 4 - 17:08 GMT - Wallops Island DZ -. Pegasus XL F14 FAILURE: The rocket functioned perfectly but the separation system failed to release the payload. HETE Spacecraft: HETE. Agency: NASA-GSF. Perigee: 487 km (302 mi). Apogee: 555 km (344 mi). Inclination: 38.00 deg. Period: 95.00 min. The High Energy Transient Experiment (HETE) was an international mission led by The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Its prime objective was to carry out the first multiwavelength study of gamma ray bursts (GRBs) with UV, X-ray, and gamma ray instruments. A unique feature of the mission was its capability to localise bursts with several arcsecond accuracy, in near real-time aboard the spacecraft. These positions were to be transmitted to the ground, and picked up by a global network of primary and secondary ground stations (SGS), enabling sensitive follow-up studies. However the satellite was never released from its payload fitting. Although signals were received, the solar panels could not deploy, and it went silent after a few days when its batteries ran down.

1997 April 21 - 11:59 GMT - Gran Canaria DZ -. Pegasus XL F15 Minisat-01 Mass: 209 kg (460 lb). Spacecraft: Minisat. Agency: INTA. Perigee: 561 km (348 mi). Apogee: 580 km (360 mi). Inclination: 151.00 deg. Period: 96.00 min. Minisat-01 carried the EURD extreme ultraviolet spectrograph to study interstellar gas, the LEGRI gamma ray burst detector, and the CPLM microacceleration in liquids experiment.

1997 August 1 - 20:20 GMT - Point Arguello WADZ -. Pegasus XL F16 Orbview-2 Spacecraft: Orbview-2. Agency: Orbimage. Perigee: 707 km (439 mi). Apogee: 708 km (439 mi). Inclination: 98.20 deg. Period: 98.90 min.

1997 August 29 - 15:02 GMT - Point Arguello WADZ -. Pegasus XL 019/F17 FORTE Spacecraft: FORTE. Agency: USAF STP. Perigee: 799 km (496 mi). Apogee: 833 km (517 mi). Inclination: 70.00 deg. Period: 101.20 min. FORTE - 'Fast On-orbit Recording of Transient Events' - was a US Los Alamos National Laboratory satellite designed to study natural and artificial radio emissions from the ionosphere. This data was needed to develop technology for monitoring nuclear test ban treaties.

1997 October 22 - 13:13 GMT - Wallops Island DZ -. Pegasus XL F18 STEP-4 Spacecraft: Eagle. Agency: USAF STP. Perigee: 432 km (268 mi). Apogee: 500 km (310 mi). Inclination: 45.00 deg. Period: 93.80 min.

1997 December 23 - 19:11 GMT - Wallops Island DZ -. Pegasus XL/HAPS F19 Orbcomm A1 Spacecraft: Microstar. Agency: Orbcomm. Perigee: 812 km (504 mi). Apogee: 823 km (511 mi). Inclination: 45.03 deg. Period: 101.26 min. Plane A. Ascending node 297.7 degrees.

1998 February 26 - 07:07 GMT - Point Arguello WADZ -. Pegasus XL F20 SNOE Spacecraft: SNOE. Agency: NASA GSF. Perigee: 529 km (328 mi). Apogee: 581 km (361 mi). Inclination: 97.70 deg. Period: 95.80 min. SNOE, the Student Nitric Oxide Explorer. Small satellite built by the University of Colorado to measure the Nitric Oxide density as a function of altitude. First satellite in the STEDI (Student Explorer Demonstration Initiative) program.

1998 April 2 - 02:42 GMT - Point Arguello WADZ -. Pegasus XL F21 TRACE Spacecraft: TRACE. Agency: NASA GSF. Perigee: 602 km (374 mi). Apogee: 652 km (405 mi). Inclination: 97.80 deg. Period: 97.10 min. NASA's third Small Explorer, the Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE), was successfully launched by an Orbital Pegasus XL. The L-1011 carrier aircraft took off from Vandenberg and dropped the Pegasus over the Pacific Ocean. TRACE, a project led by Lockheed's solar physics group, carried a 30-cm extreme ultraviolet imaging telescope which will study the Sun. The telescope mirrors were made by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. TRACE had an 8.5 arcmin field of view and 1 arcsecond resolution.

1998 August 2 - 16:24 GMT - Wallops Island DZ -. Pegasus XL/HAPS F22 Orbcomm B5 Spacecraft: Orbcomm. Agency: Orbcomm. Perigee: 813 km (505 mi). Apogee: 824 km (512 mi). Inclination: 45.00 deg. Period: 101.28 min. Plane B. Ascending node 61 degrees.

1998 September 23 - 05:06 GMT - Wallops Island DZ -. Pegasus XL/HAPS F23 Orbcomm C1 Spacecraft: Orbcomm. Agency: Orbcomm. Perigee: 811 km (503 mi). Apogee: 825 km (512 mi). Inclination: 45.01 deg. Period: 101.27 min. Plane C. Ascending node 181.6 degrees.

1998 October 23 - 00:02 GMT - Mayport DZ -. Pegasus H F24/P-33 SCD-2 Mass: 110 kg (240 lb). Spacecraft: SCD. Agency: INPE. Perigee: 742 km (461 mi). Apogee: 768 km (477 mi). Inclination: 25.00 deg. Brazil's SCD-2 satellite was aboard Orbital Science's L-1011 Stargazer aircraft when it took off from the Cape Canaveral Air Station's Skid Strip (Runway 02/20, 28.2N 80.6W) at 23:05 GMT on Oct 22 and flew to the drop zone near Cape Canaveral (in the Mayport, Florida, Warning Area) at 29.0N 78.3W. The Pegasus ignited 5 seconds after drop. The first stage carried a NASA experiment attached to its right wing, to study hypersonic boundary layer separation. The 115 kg Satelite de Coleta de Dados (Data Collection Satellite) relays data from environmental monitoring stations.

1998 December 6 - 00:57 GMT - Point Arguello WADZ -. Pegasus XL F25 SWAS Spacecraft: SWAS. Agency: NASA GSF. Perigee: 637 km (395 mi). Apogee: 651 km (404 mi). Inclination: 69.90 deg. On December 3 the Orbital Sciences L-1011 Stargazer took off from Vandenberg AFB Runway 30/12 carrying a Pegasus XL launch vehicle with the SWAS satellite aboard. It reached the drop box at 36.0N 123.0W over the Pacific, but due to a software-related problem the range ordered the launch scrubbed and the L-1011 returned to base. After a further delay due to weather, the L-1011 took off at 23:58 GMT on December 5 and SWAS reached orbit and separated from the third stage at 01:09 GMT. SWAS, the Sub-millimetre Wave Astronomy Satellite, had a 0.6m telescope with a 490 to 550 GHz sub-millimetre receiver and an acousto-optical spectrometer. SWAS was used to study the cooling of molecular cloud cores, the sites of star formation in our galaxy, by measuring lines from molecular oxygen and water.

1999 March 5 - 02:56 GMT - Point Arguello WADZ -. Pegasus XL F26/M-22 WIRE Spacecraft: WIRE. Agency: NASA GSF. Perigee: 537 km (333 mi). Apogee: 582 km (361 mi). Inclination: 97.50 deg. NASA's long-delayed WIRE (Wide Field Infrared Explorer) astronomy satellite was the fifth Small Explorer (SMEX) mission managed by NASA-Goddard. The L-1011 Stargazer launch aircraft took off from Vandenberg's runway 30/12 at 01:55 GMT on March 2 for the first launch attempt. The planned 02:56 GMT launch was cancelled at T-46 seconds due to a problem with the tail fin release mechanism of the Pegasus XL launch vehicle. The second attempt was successful, with the Pegaus XL being dropped at 36 degrees N x 123 degrees W over the Pacific Ocean at 02:56 GMT. However the WIRE ran into serious trouble shortly after orbit injection. The cover of the solid hydrogen telescope ejected prematurely, and the cryogenic coolant evaporated and vented, spinning the satellite out of control. WIRE was going to make an infrared photometry survey, generating a large catalog of galaxies and quasars.

1999 May 18 - 05:09 GMT - Point Arguello WADZ -. Pegasus XL/HAPS F27 TERRIERS Spacecraft: TERRIERS. Agency: NASA GSF. Perigee: 537 km (333 mi). Apogee: 552 km (342 mi). Inclination: 97.80 deg. TERRIERS was part of NASA's Student Explorer Demonstration Initiative (STEDI), which was a precursor program to the UNEX (University Explorer) series. STEDI was managed by USRA (the Universities Space Research Association) for NASA, while UNEX was to be more directly managed by NASA-GSFC. TERRIERS was to be operated by the space physics group at Boston University for ionosphere studies, and carried TESS, a set of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) spectrographs to get electron density and thermosphere emission profiles. The GISSMO instrument measured the solar EUV flux. The spacecraft was built by AeroAstro and based on HETE. TERRIERS was placed in the correct orbit, but it failed to orient its solar panel to the Sun and ran out of battery power by May 20. Controllers were optimistic that when its orbit processes to a better sun angle the satellite could be revived. Additional Details: TERRIERS.

1999 December 4 - 18:53 GMT - Wallops Island DZ -. Pegasus XL/HAPS F28 Orbcomm FM30 Mass: 45 kg (99 lb). Spacecraft: Orbcomm. Agency: Orbcomm. Perigee: 824 km (512 mi). Apogee: 834 km (518 mi). Inclination: 45.00 deg. Seven Orbcomms launched, rather than eight as on previous flights.

2000 June 7 - 13:19 GMT - Point Arguello WADZ -. Pegasus XL F29 TSX 5 Mass: 247 kg (544 lb). Spacecraft: STEP. Agency: USAF STP. Perigee: 412 km (256 mi). Apogee: 1,695 km (1,053 mi). Inclination: 68.94 deg. Period: 106.19 min. Military Technology satellite. Launch delayed from May 20 and June 6. Fifth STEP (Space Test Experiments Program) satellite. The satellite's main section was the STRV-2 experiment module, sponsored by the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization and the UK Ministry of Defense. This was to take infrared images of UK military aircraft at perigee, and then downlink data via laser. STRV-2 also carried vibration isolation and debris impact sensors. A secondary payload was the S97-1 CEASE (Compact Environmental Anomaly Sensor). This was an AFRL prototype sensor package to provide warning of spacecraft charging and radiation events.

2000 October 9 - 05:38 GMT - Kwajalein DZ -. Pegasus H F30/P-35 HETE-2 Mass: 130 kg (280 lb). Spacecraft: HETE. Agency: NASA GSF. Perigee: 598 km (372 mi). Apogee: 641 km (399 mi). Inclination: 1.95 deg. Period: 97.02 min. First orbital launch from Kwajalein. Second High Energy Transient Explorer; built by MIT using leftover parts from the first HETE. This failed to operate because of a Pegasus adapter failure during launch in November 1996. MIT operates the satellite, while the program is managed by NASA GSFC as an Explorer mission of opportunity. HETE's main instrument is FREGATE, the French Gamma Telescope, a hard X-ray spectrometer operating in the 6 to 400 keV energy range. This gamma ray burst detector, together with a Wide Field X-ray Monitor hard X-ray coded mask telescope, is used to trigger searches with the two Soft X-ray Imagers which have 33-arcsecond spatial resolution. This will let astronomers get precise locations for gamma-ray bursts, allowing detailed follow-up with optical instruments. The satellite is in a 595 x 636 km x 2.0 deg equatorial orbit, and sends data to a network of small ground terminals spaced around the equator.

2001 June 2 - 20:43 GMT - Point Arguello WADZ -. Hyper X 1 FAILURE: Failure. X-43A test Agency: OSC. Apogee: 7.00 km (4.30 mi). Hypersonic scramjet vehicle test. The X-43A/Pegasus booster combination was air-launched at 7600 m altitude. However the booster disintegrated at Max-Q. The redesign of the launch profile and modifications to the booster would take NASA almost three years.

2002 February 5 - 20:58 GMT - Mayport DZ -. Pegasus XL F31 HESSI Mass: 449 kg (989 lb). Spacecraft: HESSI. Agency: NASA (U.S.). Perigee: 574 km (356 mi). Apogee: 599 km (372 mi). Inclination: 38.00 deg. Period: 96.40 min. HESSI, the sixth Small Explorer, carried a rotating modulation collimator transform telescope, imaging solar flares in the hard X-ray spectrum. The launch marked the return to flight of Pegasus after the Hyper-X failure. The launch was originally to have occurred on 28 March 2001. The L-1011 launch aircraft took off at 19:29 GMT from the Cape Canaveral Skid Strip RW30/12, and headed out to the drop area at 28.0 N 78.5 W over the Atlantic. Drop of the Pegasus in the Atlantic Drop Zone at 28.0 N 78.5 W was at 20:58 GMT, with ignition 5 seconds later. The Pegasus reached orbit at 21:07 GMT. On the first pass it was confirmed that the solar panels had opened.

The satellite rotated at 15 rpm, imaging by reconstructing the Fourier components from the time modulation of the solar x-ray flux through a set of 9 grids each 9 cm in diameter. It was expected to make images with a resolution of 2 arcseconds at 40 keV energies and 36 arcseconds at 1 MeV energies. The launch delays meant that HESSI missed some of the best flares at solar max.

2003 January 25 - 20:13 GMT - Mayport DZ -. Pegasus XL F32 SORCE Mass: 268 kg (590 lb). Spacecraft: SORCE. Agency: NASA. Perigee: 617 km (384 mi). Apogee: 657 km (408 mi). Inclination: 39.99 deg. Period: 97.31 min. Solar irradiance monitoring, climatology mission. Launch delayed from December 1 and 13, 2002.

2003 April 28 - 12:00 GMT - Mayport DZ -. Pegasus XL F33 Galex Mass: 280 kg (610 lb). Spacecraft: Galex. Agency: NASA. Perigee: 694 km (431 mi). Apogee: 699 km (434 mi). Inclination: 29.00 deg. Period: 98.70 min. Much delayed launch (from January 19, May 19, July 16, 21 and 30, August 14 and October 17, 2002; January 27, March 25 and 30, April 15 and 26 2003).

2003 June 26 - 18:55 GMT - Point Arguello WADZ -. Pegasus XL F34 Orbview 3 Mass: 304 kg (670 lb). Spacecraft: Orbview. Perigee: 452 km (280 mi). Apogee: 455 km (282 mi). Inclination: 97.30 deg. Period: 93.70 min. One-meter-resolution commercial imaging satellite. Orbview-3 used an Orbital Leostar bus and had a launch mass of 304 kg (including ca. 50 kg of hydrazine for orbit raising and the 66 kg science instrument). Launch had been delayed from September 2002, April 30, May 9 and 23

2003 August 13 - 02:09 GMT - Point Arguello WADZ -. Pegasus XL F35 Scisat 1 Mass: 260 kg (570 lb). Spacecraft: SCISAT. Agency: Canadian Space Agency. Perigee: 642 km (398 mi). Apogee: 654 km (406 mi). Inclination: 73.90 deg. Period: 97.70 min. Canadian Space Agency spacecraft which carried the ACE-FTS spectrometer to study the chemistry of the upper troposphere and stratosphere and the MAESTRO instrument to study ozone and aerosol levels in the atmosphere. Originally to have launched June 25, 2002. Delayed five more times.

2004 March 27 - 21:59 GMT - Point Arguello WADZ -. Hyper X 2 X-43A-2 (Hyper X) Agency: OSC. Apogee: 29 km (18 mi). The second X-43 launch incorporated modifications to the first flight vehicle, including an upgraded control system, redesigned autopilot, off-loaded rocket motor, and improved analytical models. The second flight was launched at 12,200 m instead of the 7600 m altitude of the failed first launch to reduce transonic aerodynamic loads and improve structural and control system margins. An offloaded Orion 50S solid rocket motor reduced maximum dynamic pressure during the flight.

2004 November 16 - 22:35 GMT - Point Arguello WADZ -. Hyper X 3 X-43A test Agency: OSC. Apogee: 33 km (20 mi). Delayed from September, November 9 and 15. Final test of NASA's X-43A-3 Hyper X hypersonic scramjet demonstrated air-frame integrated scramjet performance at speeds approaching Mach 10. Changes to the launch vehicle compared to Flight 2 included high-temperature thermal protection system tiles on the wing and fin leading edge, elimination of all ballast, a full propellant load on the ATK Orion 50S booster, lightweight aluminum structures, and updated control laws and aerodynamics.

2005 April 15 - 17:26 GMT - Point Arguello WADZ -. Pegasus XL/HAPS F36 DART Mass: 360 kg (790 lb). Spacecraft: DART. Agency: NASA. Perigee: 395 km (245 mi). Apogee: 747 km (464 mi). Inclination: 96.60 deg. Period: 96.10 min. Delayed from April 15; October 18, 19, 26, 28; Nov. 4, 9 and 11; 2004, and March 2, 2005. Autonomous Rendezvous Technology mission, planned to guide itself to within a few metres of a US satellite. On April 16, DART closed within 100 m of the MUBLCOM satellite, then evidently began a series of out-of-control maneuvers resulting in an in-space collission and MUBLCOM being bumped into a 3 to 5 km higher orbit. Remarkably both satellites continued to function. DART then detected that it was running unexpectedly low on nitrogen cold gas used for orientation. Its autonomous software aborted further rendezvous operations and the DART was deorbited shortly thereafter.

2006 March 22 - 14:03 GMT - Point Arguello WADZ -. Pegasus XL F37 ST5-A Mass: 22 kg (48 lb). Agency: NASA/GSFC. Perigee: 302 km (187 mi). Apogee: 4,539 km (2,820 mi). Inclination: 105.60 deg. Period: 136.90 min. Space Technology 5 was one of NASA's New Millenium Program projects. It consisted of three small spacecraft, each a half meter in each dimension, with a small extensible magnetometer boom. Study of the magnetosphere was however secondary to the Nanosat Constellation Trailblazer technology mission. This was to demonstrate fully functional nanosatellites, which included a cold gas microthruster and miniaturized telemetry/command and power systems. The Pegasus rocket was dropped from the L-1011 carrier aircraft over the Pacific at 123 deg W x 36 deg N.

2007 April 25 - 20:26 GMT - Point Arguello WADZ -. Pegasus XL F38 AIM Mass: 150 kg (330 lb). Spacecraft: RS-300. Agency: NASA, Hampton U. Perigee: 584 km (362 mi). Apogee: 602 km (374 mi). Inclination: 97.80 deg. Period: 96.50 min. NASA Small Explorer mission, for Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere. AIM carried three scientific instruments to study polar mesospheric clouds: a solar occultation camera, an ultraviolet imager, and a cosmic dust experiment.

2008 April 16 - 17:02 GMT - Cape Canaveral . Pegasus XL F39 C/NOFS Perigee: 405 km (251 mi). Apogee: 852 km (529 mi). Inclination: 13.00 deg. Period: 97.30 min. The C/NOFS (Communication/Navigation Outage Forecasting System) satellite flew the US Defence Department's Space Test Program P00-3 space weather forecasting mission. The L-1011 launch aircraft staged from Kwajalein atoll to a release point for the Pegasus booster somewhere over the Pacific at 10.5229 N 167.7562 E. The research satellite carring ionospheric instruments, including Aerospace Corporation's CORISS receiver which used GPS signals to determine electron densities in the ionosphere, and the Naval Research Laboratory's CERTO ionospheric radio beacon. The spacecraft was built by General Dynamics C4 Systems (former Spectrum Astro) and was managed by DoD-STP and the Air Force Research Lab. The objective was to provide data that would allow better forecasts of ionospheric scintillation which causes problems with communications and GPS signals. The satellite deployed six 10-meter booms after release from the final booster stage.

Bibliography:

  • McDowell, Jonathan, Jonathan's Space Home Page (launch records), Harvard University, 1997-present. Web Address when accessed: http://www.planet4589.org/jsr.html.
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  • Space-Launcher.com, Orbital Report News Agency. Web Address when accessed: http://www.orbireport.com/Log.html.
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Pegasus
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