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The NASA F-18 clase plane that will provide visual contact and video of the L-1011 and Pegasus XL rocket once they're airborne is taxiing into position for takeoff from the Skid Strip runway at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
NASA Team ‘Go’ for L-1011 Takeoff
NASA Launch Manager Tim Dunn has polled his team and given the L-1011 clearance for takeoff.
Stargazer on the Move
The Orbital ATK Stargazer L-1011 aircraft is taxiing to the end of the runway at the Skid Strip in preparation for takeoff. The F-18 chase plane should follow shortly.
Views from the Skid Strip
Standing by for taxi of the L-1011, as well as the chase plane, which will take off prior to the L-1011.
Air-Launched Pegasus XL a Unique Launch System
The three-stage, all-solid-fueled Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket is the only airborne, commercially developed launch vehicle. At 55 feet long, if stood on its end it would be about half the height of the Statue of Liberty. Its 39,000-foot deployment altitude is 10,000 feet higher than Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth – and …
CYGNSS Microsats to Team Up with GPS for Cyclone Observation
CYGNSS will utilize a constellation of eight microsatellite observatories that will be placed in a circular orbit more than 316 miles above the Earth's surface. With an orbital inclination of 35 degrees, the small spacecraft will concentrate on the region nearest the equator — the tropics — where these cyclones form. The mission will measure …
On Track for Launch at 8:35 a.m. EST; Coverage Starts Now
NASA's Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System mission, or CYGNSS, is scheduled to begin this morning with launch aboard an Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket at 8:35 a.m. EST. The one-hour launch window extends until 9:21 a.m. Forecasters with the U.S. Air Force 45th Weather Squadron predict a 90 percent chance of favorable conditions at launch …
Launch Time Now 8:35 a.m. EST; Weather Now 90 Percent ‘Go’
Today's launch of NASA's CYGNSS spacecraft aboard an Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket now is scheduled for 8:35 a.m. EST. The launch window extends to 9:21 a.m. The weather outlook has improved to a 90 percent chance of favorable conditions at launch time, with cumulus clouds the primary concern. Weather currently is "green" on all Eastern Range …
ISS Daily Summary Report – 12/14/2016
Mobile Servicing System (MSS) Operations: Last night, the Robotics Ground Controllers powered up the MSS and maneuvered the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) to extract the External Platform (EP) from the HTV-6 Unpressurized Logistics Carrier (ULC) and install it on the Payload and ORU Accommodation (POA). Initially the SSRMS would not mode to Operational …