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
|
|
Friday, January 16
Ariane 6: safety first
ESA — 5:26 am ET (1026 GMT) Is Elon Musk losing the space cellphone war?
Fast Company — 5:25 am ET (1025 GMT) Musk’s Starlink offers cheaper broadband than BT after UK price cuts
The Daily Telegraph — 5:24 am ET (1024 GMT) Is Starlink authoritarian-proof?
Fast Company — 5:23 am ET (1023 GMT) Europe's biggest airline doesn't want Starlink on its planes. Elon Musk says it will lose customers.
Business Insider — 5:23 am ET (1023 GMT) |
