Pegasus rocket

The photograph above (of the SAC-B/HETE mission) shows the Pegasus XL rocket, built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, attached to the belly of OSC's L-1011 airplane on the "hot pad" at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility prior to takeoff.

The SAC-B and HETE satellites are located in the front end of the rocket, inside the fairing shown in this photo. This rocket was nicknamed "Maggie". The SAC-B logo can be seen just in front of the blue airconditioning box.

PEGASUS-XL Launch Vehicle

(Click on drawing below to link to 3D expanded view from OSC)

Size: 55.5 ft. long x 50 in. diameter
Liftoff Weight: 50,000 lb
lst Stage Avg. Thrust: 167,000 lb
Payload Capability: 400 nmi circular polar: 507 lbs
Program Management: Office of Space Sciences

(source: NASA/GSFC Orbital Launch Services.)

Takeoff: The OSC L-1011 taking off from Wallops Flight Facility's runway with "Maggie", the Pegasus XL rocket carrying the SAC-B and HETE satellites. The plane took off at about 11:16 EST on November 4, 1996.

Flight: The Pegasus XL was carried to an altitude of about 40,000 feet before being released at 12:08:56 EST. This photo was taken as part of a visual inspection by a NASA chase plane during the flight to the drop point.

Release: A Pegasus rocket at T+1 second, just after being dropped by the L-1011 aircraft (photo from OSC.)

Ignition: The Pegasus XL is a three stage rocket. The first stage is ignited 5 seconds after being released from the L-1011.

Launch: After ignition the rocket pitches up and heads for orbit. The first stage burns for abotu 72 seconds. The rocket then coasts for about 155 seconds, followed by second stage ignition. The second stage also burns for about 72 seconds, followed by a long 5 minute coast phase up to orbital altitude. The 3rd stage then provides the velocity needed to insert the payload into orbit.

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