Orbital Sciences CorporationPegasus HybridVandenberg Space Force Base, Air launch to orbit
Orbcomm F1 - F2 & OrbView-1
Launched
April 3, 1995
Image: NASA
Summary
Orbcomm FM1 & FM2 / OrbView-1 launched on an Orbital Sciences Corporation Pegasus Hybrid from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Air launch to orbit on April 3, 1995. It was Orbital Sciences Corporation's 9th launch, 1st this year and humanity's 3,981st orbital launch attempt. It was the 1st Pegasus Hybrid flight. The payload was bound for low Earth orbit (LEO). Orbcomm F1, one of 5 catalogued objects, reached a 742 × 757 km orbit inclined 70.0°. 5 objects from this launch are catalogued, 3 of them payloads.
- Watch
- No webcast on record.
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Communications · Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
- Milestone
- 1st Pegasus Hybrid flightOrbital Sciences Corporation's 9th launch1st this yearhumanity's 3,981st orbital launch attempt20th orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
Orbcomm F1 · NORAD 23545 · 1995-017 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 5 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- ORBCOMM FM 1
- Object ID
- 1995-017A
- Epoch
- 1995-04-03 18:13:36 UTC
- Mean motion
- 14.44812511 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.0010695
- Inclination
- 70°
- Ascending node
- 111.9774°
- Arg. of perigee
- 69.8447°
- Mean anomaly
- 290.3906°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 2
- B*
- 0.30961
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
5 catalogued: 3 payloads, 1 rocket stage, 1 component; 4 still in orbit
- Orbcomm F1 · NORAD 23545 · in orbit
- Orbcomm F2 · NORAD 23546 · in orbit
- OrbView-1 · NORAD 23547 · in orbit
Pegasus F08 Stage 3 · in orbit
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
This Pegasus flight carried the first two operational Orbcomm satellites, the start of a low-orbit constellation for short data messaging and asset tracking, together with OrbView-1 (MicroLab-1), which carried NASA's Optical Transient Detector lightning sensor and a GPS occultation experiment for atmospheric sounding.
Pad
Vandenberg Space Force Base, Air launch to orbit
2nd launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base, 1st this year · 8th from Air launch to orbit
22 launches from this pad · 52 from Air launch to orbit
279 days after the previous launch from this pad
Questions
When did Orbcomm FM1 & FM2 / OrbView-1 launch?
Orbcomm FM1 & FM2 / OrbView-1 launched on April 3, 1995. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch Orbcomm FM1 & FM2 / OrbView-1?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched Orbcomm FM1 & FM2 / OrbView-1?
Pegasus Hybrid, flown by Orbital Sciences Corporation. Pegasus Hybrid spec sheet
Where did Orbcomm FM1 & FM2 / OrbView-1 launch from?
Vandenberg Space Force Base, Air launch to orbit.
What orbit did Orbcomm FM1 & FM2 / OrbView-1 reach?
Orbcomm F1, one of 5 catalogued objects, reached a 742 × 757 km orbit inclined 70.0°.
How many satellites did Orbcomm FM1 & FM2 / OrbView-1 launch?
3 payloads from this launch are catalogued, 3 of them still in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).