Minotaur launches space surveillance satellite
Posted: Sun, Sep 26, 2010, 11:19 AM ET (1519 GMT)
A Minotaur rocket successfully launched a new satellite for the Air Force that will track satellites and orbital debris. The Minotaur 4 rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex-8 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 9:41 pm PDT Saturday (12:41 am, 0441 GMT Sunday) and placed the Space Based Space Surveillance (SBSS) Pathfinder satellite into orbit. The satellite will be used to track objects in Earth orbit and provide those observations to the US Space Surveillance Network, which will incorporate them into analyses to look for potential collisions among objects. The launch was the first orbital mission for the Minotaur 4, which utilizes solid rocket motors from retired Peacekeeper ICBMs; the Minotaur 4 made its debut earlier this year with a suborbital mission.
A Minotaur rocket successfully launched a new satellite for the Air Force that will track satellites and orbital debris. The Minotaur 4 rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex-8 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 9:41 pm PDT Saturday (12:41 am, 0441 GMT Sunday) and placed the Space Based Space Surveillance (SBSS) Pathfinder satellite into orbit. The satellite will be used to track objects in Earth orbit and provide those observations to the US Space Surveillance Network, which will incorporate them into analyses to look for potential collisions among objects. The launch was the first orbital mission for the Minotaur 4, which utilizes solid rocket motors from retired Peacekeeper ICBMs; the Minotaur 4 made its debut earlier this year with a suborbital mission.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Wednesday, January 15
Latest Moon Mission Is Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue
Eos — 5:04 am ET (1004 GMT) SSC Supports Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Mission to the Moon
SSC — 5:04 am ET (1004 GMT) Public input sought for Elon Musk’s SpaceX plans to splash down in Hawaii waters
HawaiiNewsNow — 5:00 am ET (1000 GMT) Texas and Hawaii residents are outraged over SpaceX's new Starship ambitions
Houston Chronicle — 4:59 am ET (0959 GMT) Qantas flight delays due to re-entry of SpaceX rockets
NEWS.com.au — 4:59 am ET (0959 GMT) |
