Pegasus
| Status | Active |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Manufacturer | Northrop Grumman |
| Number of orbital launches | 45 |
| First launch | 1990-04-05 |
| Last launch | 2021-06-13 |
The Pegasus launch vehicle was manufactured by Orbital Sciences Corp, later by Northrop Grumman. The three-stage rocket is carried aloft strapped to the body of B-52 or an L-1011 jet aircraft. After the L-1011 releases the Pegasus, the rocket fires and carries its scientific payload into Earth orbit. Its relatively high cost has led to a decreased launch cadence in recent years.
Launches by year:
Latest launches:
| Launch date | Launch site | Rocket / Variant | Payload | Notes | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-06-13 | Vandenberg | Pegasus XL | Odyssey (TacRL 2) | success | |
| 2019-10-11 | Cape Canaveral | Pegasus XL | ICON | success | |
| 2016-12-15 | Cape Canaveral | Pegasus XL | CYGNSS | success | |
| 2013-06-28 | Vandenberg | Pegasus XL | IRIS | success | |
| 2012-06-13 | Kwajalein | Pegasus XL | NuStar | success | |
| 2008-10-19 | Kwajalein | Pegasus XL | Star 27/IBEX | success | |
| 2008-04-16 | Kwajalein | Pegasus XL | C/NOFS | success | |
| 2007-04-25 | Vandenberg | Pegasus XL | AIM | success | |
| 2006-03-22 | Vandenberg | Pegasus XL | SpaceTech 5 | success | |
| 2005-04-15 | Vandenberg | Pegasus XL | DART | success | |
| + 35 more... | |||||
Variants:
(This section is under construction)Pegasus Standard
| First launch | 1990-04-05 |
|---|---|
| Stages | 3 |
| Boosters | 0 |
| Mass | 19 t |
| Height | 15.2 m |
| Diameter | 1.3 m |
Pegasus HAPS
| First launch | 1991-07-17 |
|---|---|
| Stages | 4 |
| Boosters | 0 |
Base variant with an optional restartable Hydrazine (N2H4) Auxiliary Propulsion System (HAPS) autonomous precision orbit injection capability.
Pegasus XL
| First launch | 1994-06-27 |
|---|---|
| Stages | 3 |
| Boosters | 0 |
| Mass | 23.13 t |
| Height | 16.9 m |
Payload capacity:
| LEO | 400 kg to 400 km / 28.5 deg |
|---|
The most used variant. The Pegasus XL, introduced in 1994 has lengthened stages to increase payload performance. In the Pegasus XL, the first and second stages are lengthened into the Orion 50SXL and Orion 50XL, respectively. Higher stages were unchanged; flight operations were also similar. The wing is strengthened slightly to handle the higher weight.
Pegasus H
| First launch | 1995-04-03 |
|---|---|
| Stages | 3 |
| Boosters | 0 |
A hybrid of the standard and XL variant. The fins were canted in order to allow carriage by the L-1011, and the avionics section and wing was that of the XL configuration. The rocket motors were from the standard variant.
Pegasus XL/HAPS
| First launch | 1997-12-23 |
|---|---|
| Stages | 4 |
| Boosters | 0 |
The XL variant with Hydrazine (N2H4) Auxiliary Propulsion System.