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Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS)

Overview

Destination: Sun-Synchronous Orbit
Mission: Heliophysics

Sun-Synchronous Orbit Vandenberg Space Force Base Air launch to orbit

The Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) is a NASA Small Explorer Mission to observe how solar material moves, gathers energy, and heats up as it travels through a little-understood region in the sun's lower atmosphere.

Pegasus XL

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
  • Max Stage
    3
  • Length
    17.6 m
  • Diameter
    1.27 m
  • Fairing Diameter
  • Launch Mass
    23.0 T
  • Thrust
    580.0 kN
Family
  • Name
    Pegasus XL
  • Family
  • Variant
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Pegasus XL
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

Vandenberg Space Force Base


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4th flight of the Chinese spaceplane capable of returning to Earth.


Soyuz 2.1b/Fregat-M
Success
1 week ago
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43/4 (43R) - Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation

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1 week, 3 days ago
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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.


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Success
1 week, 5 days ago
AlSat 3B
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