The Pegasus is an air-launched rocket developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation (now part of Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems). Capable of carrying small payloads of up to 443 kilograms (977 lb) into low Earth orbit, the vehicle consists of three solid propellant stages and an optional monopropellant fourth stage. Pegasus is released from its carrier aircraft at approximately 40,000 ft (12,000 m), and its first stage has a wing and a tail to provide lift and attitude control while in the atmosphere.
Specifications
- Thrust
- 580 kN
- Height
- 16.9 m
- Diameter
- 1.27 m
- Launch mass
- 18 t
- Stages
- 3
- Launch cost
- $40M
- LEO capacity
- 443 kg
- GTO capacity
- 0 kg
- GEO capacity
- —
- SSO capacity
- —
Vehicle specifications from Launch Library; blanks are unpublished figures.
Flight record
Flights
4
Launches with a definitive outcome
Success rate
100%
4 of 4
Current success streak
4
Landings
0
0 attempts · 0 droneship / 0 RTLS
Fastest turnaround
—
Between consecutive booster flights
Counted from padside's own launch record — the same basis as the Stats page.
Launches
- Pegasus | APEX — Success
- Pegasus | Array of Low Energy X-ray Imaging Sensors (ALEXIS) — Success
- Pegasus | Satélite de Coleta de Dados-1 (SCD-1) — Success
- Pegasus | Pegsat, NavySat — Success