APEX

Overview

Destination: Elliptical Orbit
Mission: Planetary Science

Elliptical Orbit Edwards Air Force Base Air launch to orbit

APEX (Advanced Photovoltaic & Electronic Experiment) successfully tested a wide array of advanced photovoltaic and electronic components in a harsh radiation environment, provided significant data to support improved designs for future space systems. During operation, APEX's highly elliptical orbit allowed the investigation of space plasma effects on high-voltage operation (current leakage at positive voltages and arcing at negative voltages) in the perigee region, plus the investigation of space radiation effects (decreased array power output from passage through the inner radiation belt) in the apogee region.

Pegasus

Family:
Configuration:

The Pegasus is an air-launched rocket developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation (now part of Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems). Capable of carrying small payloads of up to 443 kilograms (977 lb) into low Earth orbit, the vehicle consists of three solid propellant stages and an optional monopropellant fourth stage. Pegasus is released from its carrier aircraft at approximately 40,000 ft (12,000 m), and its first stage has a wing and a tail to provide lift and attitude control while in the atmosphere.

Specifications
  • Stages
    3
  • Length
    16.9 m
  • Diameter
    1.27 m
  • Fairing Diameter
  • Launch Mass
    18.0 T
  • Thrust
    580.0 kN
Family
  • Name
    Pegasus
  • Family
  • Variant
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Pegasus
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
    $40000000
  • Low Earth Orbit
    443.0 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity

Orbital Sciences Corporation

Orbital Sciences Corporation

(OSC)

Successes: 65 Failures: 7 Pending: 0

Agency Type:

INFO WIKI

Air launch to orbit

Edwards Air Force Base


Long March 6
Success
13 hours, 10 minutes ago
PRSC-EO3
Launch Complex 16 - Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Optical Earth observation satellite for the Pakistan government's SUPARCO.


Long March 2D
Success
1 day, 18 hours ago
4 x SatNet test satellites
Launch Complex 3 (LC-3/LA-1) - Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Officially described as "Satellite-Internet Technology Demonstration Satellites". Probably 4 test satellites for the Chinese state-owned LEO commu…


Angara 1.2
Success
2 days, 16 hours ago
Kosmos (Unknown Payload)
35/1 - Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation

Unknown satellite(s) for the Russian military.


Falcon 9
Success
2 days, 22 hours ago
Starlink Group 17-14
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 24 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Electron
Success
2 days, 22 hours ago
Kakushin Rising (JAXA Rideshare)
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A - Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

JAXA-manifested rideshare of eight separate spacecraft that includes educational small sats, an ocean monitoring satellite, a demonstration satellite…


Electron
Success
3 days, 23 hours ago
Bubbles
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 (Launch Area 0 C) - Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, USA

Sub-orbital launch under Rocket Lab’s Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron (HASTE) program, details TBD.


Falcon 9
Success
4 days, 18 hours ago
GPS III SV10
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

Tenth of ten GPS III missions.


Falcon 9
Success
6 days, 9 hours ago
Starlink Group 17-22
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 25 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


New Glenn
Failure
6 days, 14 hours ago
BlueBird Block 2 #2
Launch Complex 36A - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

AST SpaceMobile’s Block 2 BlueBird satellites are designed to deliver up to 10 times the bandwidth capacity of the BlueBird Block 1 satellites, requi…


Long March 4C
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
Daqi-2 (AEMS)
Launch Area 94 (SLS-2 / 603) - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Daqi-2 (DQ-2), also known as the Atmospheric Environment Monitoring Satellite/AEMS, is the second of follow-on series of Chinese satellites to the GF…