Updated: Sat, Jan 25, 2003, 8:08 PM ET (0108 GMT)
Originally Posted: Sat, Jan 25, 2003, 4:39 PM ET (2139 GMT)
A Pegasus XL launch vehicle successfully placed a NASA science satellite into low Earth orbit Saturday afternoon. The Pegasus XL was dropped from its L-1011 carrier aircraft off the coast from Cape Canaveral, Florida at 3:13 pm EST (2013 GMT); the booster ignited its engines several seconds later, placing its payload into a 620 x 646 km orbit 11 minutes after ignition. The Pegasus XL carried SORCE (Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment), a spacecraft designed to monitor what effect solar energy has on the Earth's climate. The NASA mission is operated by the University of Colorado. The launch was the first for the Pegasus since a Pegasus launched NASA's HESSI spacecraft nearly 12 months ago.

Related Links:

•  Spaceflight Now mission status center
•  SPACE.com article
•  AP article
•  AFP article
•  NASA/KSC press release