Orbital Sciences CorporationPegasus XLKwajalein Atoll, Air launch to orbit
Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX)
Launched
October 19, 2008
Image: NASA/Laurie Losey
Summary
IBEX launched on an Orbital Sciences Corporation Pegasus XL from Kwajalein Atoll, Air launch to orbit on October 19, 2008. It was Orbital Sciences Corporation's 55th launch, 2nd this year and humanity's 4,938th orbital launch attempt. It was the 26th Pegasus XL flight and the 2nd this year. The payload was bound for High Earth Orbit (HEO). IBEX, one of 4 catalogued objects, reached a 226 × 250,289 km orbit inclined 11.0°. 4 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
- Heliophysics · High Earth Orbit (HEO)
- Milestone
- 26th Pegasus XL flight · 2nd this yearOrbital Sciences Corporation's 55th launch2nd this yearhumanity's 4,938th orbital launch attempt53rd orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
IBEX · NORAD 33401 · 2008-051 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 4 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- IBEX
- Object ID
- 2008-051A
- Epoch
- 2008-10-19 17:57:21 UTC
- Mean motion
- 0.18179305 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.9498789
- Inclination
- 11.0255°
- Ascending node
- 34.7748°
- Arg. of perigee
- 94.4508°
- Mean anomaly
- 0.0159°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 1
- B*
- 0.0001
Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: HEO. Ascent drawn from padside's representative profile.
Catalogued objects
4 catalogued: 1 payload, 1 rocket stage, 2 components
- IBEX · NORAD 33401 · left Earth orbit October 20, 2008
Pegasus F40 Stage 3 · re-entered November 16, 2008
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
The Interstellar Boundary Explorer is a NASA Small Explorer that maps the boundary between the solar wind and interstellar space by imaging energetic neutral atoms from a highly elliptical Earth orbit. It was air-launched from a Pegasus over Kwajalein.
Pad
Kwajalein Atoll, Air launch to orbit
3rd launch from Kwajalein Atoll, 2nd this year · 40th from Air launch to orbit
5 launches from this pad · 52 from Air launch to orbit
186 days after the previous launch from this pad
Questions
When did IBEX launch?
IBEX launched on October 19, 2008. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch IBEX?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched IBEX?
Pegasus XL, flown by Orbital Sciences Corporation. Pegasus XL spec sheet
Where did IBEX launch from?
Kwajalein Atoll, Air launch to orbit.
What orbit did IBEX reach?
IBEX, one of 4 catalogued objects, reached a 226 × 250,289 km orbit inclined 11.0°.
How many satellites did IBEX launch?
1 payload from this launch is catalogued (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).