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, July 26
Vandenberg Space Force Base Initiates New Rocket Launch Notification System
Santa Barbara (CA) Edhat — 7:25 am ET (1125 GMT) Space Force missile warning competition robust despite RTX exit
Defense News — 7:25 am ET (1125 GMT) U.S. Space Force Eyes On-Orbit Weather Monitoring Systems
Aviation Week — 7:24 am ET (1124 GMT) EU’s rival to Elon Musk’s Starlink struggles to take off
POLITICO — 7:22 am ET (1122 GMT) Vandenberg base starts public notification system on rocket launches
Ventura County (CA) Star — 7:21 am ET (1121 GMT) |
