Orbital Sciences CorporationPegasus HAPSEdwards Air Force Base, Air launch to orbit
7 microsats
Launched
July 17, 1991
Image: NASA
Summary
DARPA Microsat 1-7 launched on an Orbital Sciences Corporation Pegasus HAPS from Edwards Air Force Base, Air launch to orbit on July 17, 1991. It was Orbital Sciences Corporation's 2nd launch, 1st this year and humanity's 3,650th orbital launch attempt. It was the 1st Pegasus HAPS flight. The payload was bound for low Earth orbit (LEO). Microsat 1, one of 8 catalogued objects, reached a 364 × 467 km orbit inclined 82.0°. 8 objects from this launch are catalogued, 7 of them payloads.
- Watch
- No webcast on record.
- Vehicle
- Pegasus HAPS · Orbital Sciences Corporation
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Communications · Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
- Milestone
- 1st Pegasus HAPS flightOrbital Sciences Corporation's 2nd launch1st this yearhumanity's 3,650th orbital launch attempt53rd orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
Microsat 1 · NORAD 21580 · 1991-051 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 8 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- TBA - TO BE ASSIGNED
- Object ID
- 1991-051A
- Epoch
- 1991-07-18 16:11:49 UTC
- Mean motion
- 15.52836992 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.0075712
- Inclination
- 82.0202°
- Ascending node
- 261.3129°
- Arg. of perigee
- 54.1705°
- Mean anomaly
- 306.6567°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 13
- B*
- 0
Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: LEO.
Catalogued objects
8 catalogued: 7 payloads, 1 rocket stage; none still in orbit
- Microsat 1 · NORAD 21580 · re-entered January 23, 1992
- Microsat 2 · NORAD 21581 · re-entered January 23, 1992
- Microsat 3 · NORAD 21582 · re-entered January 24, 1992
- Microsat 4 · NORAD 21583 · re-entered January 23, 1992
- Microsat 5 · NORAD 21584 · re-entered January 24, 1992
- Microsat 6 · NORAD 21585 · re-entered January 25, 1992
- Microsat 7 · NORAD 21586 · re-entered January 23, 1992
Pegasus F02 Stage 4 · re-entered November 8, 1991
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
The second Pegasus flight orbited seven small DARPA Microsat store-and-forward communications satellites, each about 22 kg, to demonstrate lightweight tactical communications for the US military. The HAPS upper stage shut down early, leaving the satellites in a lower orbit than planned, and they decayed within months.
Pad
Edwards Air Force Base, Air launch to orbit
2nd launch from Edwards Air Force Base, 1st this year · 2nd from Air launch to orbit
5 launches from this pad · 52 from Air launch to orbit
467 days after the previous launch from this pad
Questions
When did DARPA Microsat 1-7 launch?
DARPA Microsat 1-7 launched on July 17, 1991. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch DARPA Microsat 1-7?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched DARPA Microsat 1-7?
Pegasus HAPS, flown by Orbital Sciences Corporation. Pegasus HAPS spec sheet
Where did DARPA Microsat 1-7 launch from?
Edwards Air Force Base, Air launch to orbit.
What orbit did DARPA Microsat 1-7 reach?
Microsat 1, one of 8 catalogued objects, reached a 364 × 467 km orbit inclined 82.0°.
How many satellites did DARPA Microsat 1-7 launch?
7 payloads from this launch are catalogued, none of them still in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).