Orbital Sciences CorporationPegasus HAPSEdwards Air Force Base, Air launch to orbit

Space Test Experiments Platform 2 (STEP-2)

Launched

May 19, 1994

Launch Successful

Image: NASA

Summary

STEP-2 launched on an Orbital Sciences Corporation Pegasus HAPS from Edwards Air Force Base, Air launch to orbit on May 19, 1994. It was Orbital Sciences Corporation's 6th launch, 2nd this year and humanity's 3,898th orbital launch attempt. It was the 2nd Pegasus HAPS flight and the 1st this year. The payload was bound for low Earth orbit (LEO). STEP M2, one of 755 catalogued objects, reached a 610 × 828 km orbit inclined 82.0°. 755 objects from this launch are catalogued, one of them a payload.

Watch: No webcast on record.
Vehicle: Pegasus HAPS · Orbital Sciences Corporation
Booster: No booster details on record.
Mission: Technology · Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
Milestone: 2nd Pegasus HAPS flight · 1st this yearOrbital Sciences Corporation's 6th launch2nd this yearhumanity's 3,898th orbital launch attempt30th orbital launch attempt this year

Flight preview

Orbit: as tracked

82.0°Inclination

610 × 828 kmPerigee × apogeefrom mean elements

99.0 minPeriodfrom mean elements

196.2°Ascending node

11837 d agoElement epoch1994-05-20 05:39 UTC · stale

STEP M2 · NORAD 23105 · 1994-029 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 755 objects

Show the numbers

Object: STEP 2
Object ID: 1994-029A
Epoch: 1994-05-20 05:39:26 UTC
Mean motion: 14.54174871 rev/day
Eccentricity: 0.0154052
Inclination: 81.9611°
Ascending node: 196.2137°
Arg. of perigee: 50.6438°
Mean anomaly: 310.8335°
Element set: 999
Rev at epoch: 8
B*: -0.01391

Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: LEO.

Catalogued objects

755 catalogued: 1 payload, 1 rocket stage, 753 debris; 58 still in orbit

STEP M2 · NORAD 23105 · in orbit

Pegasus F05 Stage 4 · in orbit

Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org

About this launch

STEP-2 (Space Test Experiments Platform 2) was a US Air Force Space Test Program satellite carrying the SIDEX signal-identification experiment. The Pegasus HAPS stage left it in a lower, elliptical orbit than the planned 830 km circular one, but it still returned useful data.

Pad

Edwards Air Force Base, Air launch to orbit

4th launch from Edwards Air Force Base, 1st this year · 5th from Air launch to orbit

5 launches from this pad · 52 from Air launch to orbit

389 days after the previous launch from this pad

All launches from Air launch to orbit Open in maps

Questions

When did STEP-2 launch?

STEP-2 launched on May 19, 1994. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.

Where can I watch STEP-2?

No webcast is on record for this launch.

What rocket launched STEP-2?

Pegasus HAPS, flown by Orbital Sciences Corporation. Pegasus HAPS spec sheet

Where did STEP-2 launch from?

Edwards Air Force Base, Air launch to orbit.

What orbit did STEP-2 reach?

STEP M2, one of 755 catalogued objects, reached a 610 × 828 km orbit inclined 82.0°.

How many satellites did STEP-2 launch?

1 payload from this launch is catalogued, still in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).