Orbital Sciences CorporationPegasus XLVandenberg Space Force Base, Air launch to orbit
REX II
Launched
March 9, 1996 · 01:33 UTC
Image: NASA/Laurie Losey
Summary
REX II launched on an Orbital Sciences Corporation Pegasus XL from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Air launch to orbit on March 9, 1996 at 01:33 UTC. It was Orbital Sciences Corporation's 11th launch, 1st this year and humanity's 4,056th orbital launch attempt. It was the 3rd Pegasus XL flight and the 1st this year. The payload was bound for Polar Orbit (PO). REX II, one of 2 catalogued objects, reached a 811 × 839 km orbit inclined 90.0°. 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 · Polar Orbit (PO)
- Milestone
- 3rd Pegasus XL flight · 1st this yearOrbital Sciences Corporation's 11th launch1st this yearhumanity's 4,056th orbital launch attempt15th orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
REX II · NORAD 23814 · 1996-014 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 2 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- REX 2
- Object ID
- 1996-014A
- Epoch
- 1996-03-09 11:05:58 UTC
- Mean motion
- 14.22234745 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.0019725
- Inclination
- 89.9522°
- Ascending node
- 239.0108°
- Arg. of perigee
- 321.5819°
- Mean anomaly
- 38.265°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 6
- B*
- 0
Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: PO. Ascent drawn from padside's representative profile.
Catalogued objects
2 catalogued: 1 payload, 1 rocket stage; 2 still in orbit
- REX II · NORAD 23814 · in orbit
Pegasus F10 Stage 3 · in orbit
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
REX II (Radiation Experiment II) was a US Air Force Space Test Program satellite for Rome Laboratory that studied how the ionosphere disturbs radio transmissions and demonstrated GPS-based attitude determination. It flew in a roughly 800 km polar orbit on the first successful Pegasus XL.
Pad
Vandenberg Space Force Base, Air launch to orbit
4th launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base, 1st this year · 10th from Air launch to orbit
22 launches from this pad · 52 from Air launch to orbit
260 days after the previous launch from this pad
Questions
When did REX II launch?
REX II launched on March 9, 1996 at 01:33 UTC.
Where can I watch REX II?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched REX II?
Pegasus XL, flown by Orbital Sciences Corporation. Pegasus XL spec sheet
Where did REX II launch from?
Vandenberg Space Force Base, Air launch to orbit.
What orbit did REX II reach?
REX II, one of 2 catalogued objects, reached a 811 × 839 km orbit inclined 90.0°.
How many satellites did REX II launch?
1 payload from this launch is catalogued, still in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).