L-1011 Stargazer, Swift Boost Mission III

Mission postponed again due to unfavorable weather conditions.

The launch of Katalyst Space’s robotic servicing spacecraft LINK, designed to boost the orbit of NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, was postponed again Wednesday due to unfavorable weather conditions. The next launch attempt is targeted for no earlier than Thursday, July 2, at 9:09 p.m. UTC+12 (5:09 a.m. EDT), on Northrop Grumman’s Pegasus XL rocket from Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands.

• NASA Science: Weather Delays Launch of Mission to Boost NASA’s Swift

Article by Northrop Grumman: Cockpit to the Cosmos

Cockpit to the Cosmos

With unmatched skill and focus, Northrop Grumman’s Stargazer pilots transform a jetliner into a launch platform.

Stargazer © Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman pilots operate the Stargazer L-1011 aircraft to air-launch the Pegasus rocket, enabling precise, flexible deployment of small satellites like NASA’s Swift Observatory, requiring exceptional skill, teamwork, and focus for mission success. 

• Full article: Cockpit to the Cosmos

Swift Boost scrubbed due to weather

Stargazer © NASA/Jamie Adkins

The launch of Katalyst Space’s robotic servicing spacecraft LINK, designed to boost the orbit of NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, was postponed Tuesday due to unfavorable weather conditions. The next launch attempt is targeted for no earlier than Wednesday, July 1, at 9:43 p.m. UTC+12 (5:43 a.m. EDT), on Northrop Grumman’s Pegasus XL rocket from Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands.

• NASA Science: Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory 

Is this the last Stargazer mission?

Space.com website states that Swift Boost mission will be the last flight of the Pegasus rocket. Will there be another new design of a rocket that can be mated to the L-1011 or will this also mean the final end of an era for the aircraft type too?

An air-launched Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket is scheduled to fly for the very last time early Tuesday morning (June 30), sending a private spacecraft on a rescue mission to save one of NASA's most iconic space telescopes from falling back to Earth.

Full article here:

Space.com: NASA to launch rescue mission