The Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket is released from L-1011 carrier jet off the central Florida coastline at 8:37 a.m. EST (1337 GMT) and ignites to power eight microsats to space for NASA’s CYGNSS hurricane research project.
News
Orbital ATK confident new rocket will win Air Force support
Orbital ATK’s bid to join the U.S. military’s roster of rockets to haul the most critical national security satellites into orbit faces stiff competition from entrenched launch providers and billionaire entrepreneurs, but the company is confident its Next Generation Launch system will win one of three funding agreements the Air Force is expected to award this summer.
Mission Reports
Live coverage: Cygnus supply ship readied for station departure
After a 22-day stay at the International Space Station, an Orbital ATK Cygnus supply ship is set for departure Wednesday en route to a higher orbit for release of 14 CubeSats for commercial weather monitoring and technology demonstrations. The robotic Cygnus spacecraft is scheduled for release from the station’s robotic arm at 8:10 a.m. EST (1310 GMT) Wednesday.
