Orbital Sciences CorporationPegasus XLWallops Flight Facility, Air launch to orbit
Space Test Experiments Platform-4 (STEP-4)
Launched
October 22, 1997
Image: NASA/Laurie Losey
Summary
STEP-4 launched on an Orbital Sciences Corporation Pegasus XL from Wallops Flight Facility, Air launch to orbit on October 22, 1997. It was Orbital Sciences Corporation's 19th launch, 4th this year and humanity's 4,183rd orbital launch attempt. It was the 10th Pegasus XL flight and the 4th this year. The payload was bound for low Earth orbit (LEO). STEP M4, one of 2 catalogued objects, reached a 442 × 508 km orbit inclined 44.9°. 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
- 10th Pegasus XL flight · 4th this yearOrbital Sciences Corporation's 19th launch4th this yearhumanity's 4,183rd orbital launch attempt65th orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
STEP M4 · NORAD 25013 · 1997-063 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 2 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- STEP M4
- Object ID
- 1997-063A
- Epoch
- 1997-10-22 17:26:41 UTC
- Mean motion
- 15.32745059 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.0047846
- Inclination
- 44.8699°
- Ascending node
- 26.7578°
- Arg. of perigee
- 132.8494°
- Mean anomaly
- 227.6346°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 2
- 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; none still in orbit
- STEP M4 · NORAD 25013 · re-entered March 31, 2001
Pegasus F18 Stage 3 · re-entered November 30, 1999
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
STEP-4 was a US Air Force Space Test Program satellite carrying an ion drift meter, an ionospheric radio-propagation experiment and an ozone and aerosol instrument. Its solar panels failed to deploy properly after reaching orbit and the mission was declared a failure.
Pad
Wallops Flight Facility, Air launch to orbit
2nd launch from Wallops Flight Facility, 1st this year · 17th from Air launch to orbit
6 launches from this pad · 52 from Air launch to orbit
351 days after the previous launch from this pad
Questions
When did STEP-4 launch?
STEP-4 launched on October 22, 1997. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch STEP-4?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched STEP-4?
Pegasus XL, flown by Orbital Sciences Corporation. Pegasus XL spec sheet
Where did STEP-4 launch from?
Wallops Flight Facility, Air launch to orbit.
What orbit did STEP-4 reach?
STEP M4, one of 2 catalogued objects, reached a 442 × 508 km orbit inclined 44.9°.
How many satellites did STEP-4 launch?
1 payload from this launch is catalogued, no longer in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).