Posted on 06/13/2021 8:58:55 PM PDT by BenLurkin
A Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket launched the U.S. Space Force’s Tactically Responsive Launch-2 (TacRL-2) mission June 13 at 1:11 a.m. Pacific from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.
The payload was successfully deployed its intended orbit, a Space Force spokesman confirmed on Sunday.
Pegasus is an air-launched rocket deployed from a Stargazer L-1011 aircraft. Shortly after its release from Stargazer, at approximately 40,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean, Pegasus ignited its first stage and flew TacRL-2 to a sun-synchronous low-Earth orbit.
Launch vehicle assembly, integration and testing were completed within four months of contract award, said Lt. Col. Ryan Rose, chief of SMC’s Small Launch and Targets Division.
This was the 45th launch of the solid-fueled Pegasus. Northrop Grumman said Pegasus has launched more than 90 satellites to low Earth orbit from five launch sites in the United States, Europe and the Marshall Islands.
(Excerpt) Read more at spacenews.com ...
Thunderbirds are GO!
Odyssey is a surveillance satellite used to detect foreign objects in space, like floating debris
"debris" sounds a bit like "foreign" satellites to me.
Hmm sun-synchronous orbit, eh?
Harder to track in the middle of the day, right?
“debris” sounds a bit like “foreign” satellites to me”
Or upper stage components of Pegasus that don’t reenter.
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