Pegasus launches HESSI
Posted: Tue, Feb 5, 2002, 10:33 PM ET (0333 GMT)
A Pegasus XL booster successfully launched NASA's High Energy Spectroscopic Imager (HESSI) spacecraft Tuesday afternoon. The Pegasus XL was deployed from its L-1011 carrier aircraft at 3:58 pm EST (2058 GMT) while flying off the coast from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The launch was delayed about 30 minutes because of temporary communications problems between the aircraft and ground control. Project officials reported later Tuesday that the spacecraft successfully reached low Earth orbit and appeared to be functioning normally. HESSI will perform x-ray and gamma-ray spectroscopy of solar flares in an effort to understand how particles are accelerated to high velocities by flares, which in turn may provide new insights into the nature of flares themselves. HESSI's launch has been delayed by more than a year to repair damage to the spacecraft caused during a ground test as well as investigations into the failure of a booster similar to the Pegasus XL. The launch was the first for the Pegasus since October 2000 and the first of up to five Pegasus flights scheduled for 2002.
A Pegasus XL booster successfully launched NASA's High Energy Spectroscopic Imager (HESSI) spacecraft Tuesday afternoon. The Pegasus XL was deployed from its L-1011 carrier aircraft at 3:58 pm EST (2058 GMT) while flying off the coast from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The launch was delayed about 30 minutes because of temporary communications problems between the aircraft and ground control. Project officials reported later Tuesday that the spacecraft successfully reached low Earth orbit and appeared to be functioning normally. HESSI will perform x-ray and gamma-ray spectroscopy of solar flares in an effort to understand how particles are accelerated to high velocities by flares, which in turn may provide new insights into the nature of flares themselves. HESSI's launch has been delayed by more than a year to repair damage to the spacecraft caused during a ground test as well as investigations into the failure of a booster similar to the Pegasus XL. The launch was the first for the Pegasus since October 2000 and the first of up to five Pegasus flights scheduled for 2002.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Tuesday, July 21
Sophie Adenot’s autobiography to be published by JCLattès in early 2027
ESA — 7:13 am ET (1113 GMT) 3D-printed metal: unlocking crew autonomy
ESA — 7:13 am ET (1113 GMT) Russia Launches Second Satellite Batch for Its Starlink Rival—the Math Still Looks Rough
United24 Media — 7:13 am ET (1113 GMT) Bill seen easing way for Starlink's entry passes Legislative Yuan
Focus Taiwan — 7:12 am ET (1112 GMT) US rocket-launch bottleneck worries Sweden, which just launched its first military satellite
Defense One — 7:10 am ET (1110 GMT) |
