Launch of the last Pegasus XL rocket was a success.
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| Stargazer © NASA/Ron Beard |
The launch took place last July 3 with the rocket reaching orbit and science teams having successfully established contact with the spacecraft. Now it will take several weeks before it will try to capture and raise the telescope that needs to be saved from its decaying orbit.
Nasa Science: Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory
Yesterday's launch window was missed again due to a minor glitch that surfaced with the Pegasus rocket but it now seems everything is sorted out. A new attempt will be made today.
From NASA's Swift blog:
After takeoff of the L-1011 aircraft carrying the Pegasus XL, a launch vehicle issue temporarily prevented teams from deploying the rocket.
The launch of Katalyst’s robotic servicing spacecraft LINK, designed to boost the orbit of NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, is now targeting no earlier than 8:35 p.m. UTC+12 (4:35 a.m. EDT), Friday, July 3, on Northrop Grumman’s Pegasus XL rocket from Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands.
From Space.com:
This is the final flight of the historic Pegasus rocket.
An air-launched Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket will soon fly for the very last time, sending a private spacecraft on a rescue mission to save one of NASA's most iconic space telescopes from falling back to Earth.
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.
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| 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.