Minotaur launches smallsat constellation
Posted: Sat, Apr 15, 2006, 11:58 AM ET (1558 GMT)
A Minotaur rocket launched a constellation of six small satellites for a US-Taiwan project to study terrestrial and space weather. The Minotaur lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 9:40 pm EDT Friday (0140 GMT Saturday), and placed the six-satellite COSMIC system into sun-synchronous orbit ten minutes later. The launch, which took place despite cloudy weather conditions that threatened to scrub the launch, was delayed 90 minutes to investigate a faulty monitoring system that developed problems in the final minutes before the originally-scheduled liftoff time. The six identical satellites will spend the next 13 months maneuvering into their desired formation. The satellites, called Formosat 3 in Taiwan, are a joint venture between institutions in the US and Taiwan to use radio occultation techniques, using signals transmitted by GPS satellites, to study atmospheric conditions, as well as to monitor space weather.
A Minotaur rocket launched a constellation of six small satellites for a US-Taiwan project to study terrestrial and space weather. The Minotaur lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 9:40 pm EDT Friday (0140 GMT Saturday), and placed the six-satellite COSMIC system into sun-synchronous orbit ten minutes later. The launch, which took place despite cloudy weather conditions that threatened to scrub the launch, was delayed 90 minutes to investigate a faulty monitoring system that developed problems in the final minutes before the originally-scheduled liftoff time. The six identical satellites will spend the next 13 months maneuvering into their desired formation. The satellites, called Formosat 3 in Taiwan, are a joint venture between institutions in the US and Taiwan to use radio occultation techniques, using signals transmitted by GPS satellites, to study atmospheric conditions, as well as to monitor space weather.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Wednesday, August 12
Firefly Now Targeting Next Alpha Flight By Year’s End
Aviation Week — 4:54 am ET (0854 GMT) 'Russian Starlink' Is Fast Becoming A Reality, There's Just One Problem For The Kremlin
Radio Free Europe — 4:52 am ET (0852 GMT) Firefly Aerospace Announces Extension of Multi-Launch Agreement with Lockheed Martin Through 2031
Firefly Aerospace — 4:50 am ET (0850 GMT) Firefly’s SciTec Awarded $94 Million U.S. Space Force Contract to Advance Ground-Based Radar Digitization Program
Firefly Aerospace — 4:49 am ET (0849 GMT) Registration Now Open for Spacepower Conference 2026
EINPresswire.com — 4:49 am ET (0849 GMT) |
