Orbital Sciences CorporationPegasus XLSpace Launch Complex 10E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Fast On-orbit Rapid Recording of Transient Events (FORTE)
Launched
August 29, 1997 · 15:02 UTC
Image: NASA/Laurie Losey
Summary
FORTE launched on an Orbital Sciences Corporation Pegasus XL from Space Launch Complex 10E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA on August 29, 1997 at 15:02 UTC. It was Orbital Sciences Corporation's 18th launch, 3rd this year and humanity's 4,167th orbital launch attempt. It was the 9th Pegasus XL flight and the 3rd this year. The payload was bound for low Earth orbit (LEO). FORTE, one of 2 catalogued objects, reached a 807 × 814 km orbit inclined 70.0°. 2 objects from this launch are catalogued, one of them a payload.
- Watch
- No webcast on record.
- Vehicle
- Pegasus XL · Orbital Sciences Corporation
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Technology · Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
- Milestone
- 9th Pegasus XL flight · 3rd this yearOrbital Sciences Corporation's 18th launch3rd this yearhumanity's 4,167th orbital launch attempt49th orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
FORTE · NORAD 24920 · 1997-047 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 2 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- FORTE
- Object ID
- 1997-047A
- Epoch
- 1997-08-29 15:13:40 UTC
- Mean motion
- 14.26419391 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.0005
- Inclination
- 70.0007°
- Ascending node
- 274.194°
- Arg. of perigee
- 178.626°
- Mean anomaly
- 348.1901°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 0
- B*
- 0
Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: LEO. Ascent drawn from padside's representative profile.
Catalogued objects
2 catalogued: 1 payload, 1 rocket stage; 2 still in orbit
- FORTE · NORAD 24920 · in orbit
Pegasus F17 Stage 3 · in orbit
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
FORTE (Fast On-orbit Recording of Transient Events) was a Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories satellite for the US Department of Energy that recorded radio-frequency bursts from lightning and other sources to develop nuclear test-ban monitoring techniques. It deployed a 10 m antenna in an 800 km, 70 degree orbit.
Pad
Space Launch Complex 10E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
1st launch from Space Launch Complex 10E, 1st this year · 576th from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Local pad time at liftoff: Aug 29, 8:02 AM PDT, in daylight
1 launches from this pad · 919 from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
under an hour after the previous launch from this pad
Questions
When did FORTE launch?
FORTE launched on August 29, 1997 at 15:02 UTC.
Where can I watch FORTE?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched FORTE?
Pegasus XL, flown by Orbital Sciences Corporation. Pegasus XL spec sheet
Where did FORTE launch from?
Space Launch Complex 10E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA. Liftoff was Aug 29, 8:02 AM PDT local time at the pad.
What orbit did FORTE reach?
FORTE, one of 2 catalogued objects, reached a 807 × 814 km orbit inclined 70.0°.
How many satellites did FORTE launch?
1 payload from this launch is catalogued, still in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).