Tuesday, February 18, 1997

Pegsat

 1990-028A


Pegsat was a test satellite for the first Pegasus launch and it remained attached to the Pegasus Orion 38 third stage motor. Developed by NASA-Goddard and built in-house, it carried Barium release canisters left over from the CRRES program as a bonus scientific experiment. The NB52 008 carrier aircraft took off from RW04/22 at Edwards AFB at 1803 on 1990 Apr 5 and flew out over the Point Arguello Warning Area 80 km W of Vandenberg AFB. At 1910:17 the B-52 dropped the Pegasus at an altitude of 13 km. First stage ignition was at 1910:22, burnout at 1911:38 at an altitude of 70 km. Stage 2 ignited at 1911:47 at 76 km, and burnt out at 1912:59 at 198 km. The second and third stages remained attached for a coast period, then at 1918:39 the second stage separated and stage 3 ignited for a 66 s burn at 537 km altitude. Earth orbit insertion was at 1919:45 into a 508 x 687 km x 94.2 deg orbit. The first barium canister was released on 1990 Apr 15; the second was probably released on 1990 Apr 17.


Pegsat 
 

DateTimeEventOrbit  

1990 Apr 5  1803  B-52 takeoff EAFB 
 1910:15  Drop 13.2km 
 1910:20  Stage 1 burn 
 1911:35  T+1:20 Stage 1 cutoff, 70 km 
 1911:43  T+1:28 Stage 1 sep 
 1911:45  T+1:30 Stage 2 burn 
 1912:10  T+1:50 Fairing sep 
 1912:59  T+2:39 Stage 2 cutoff, 198 km 
 1918:39  T+8:19 Stage 2 sep 
 1918:39  Stage 3 burn, 537 km, 2.5 deg 4.552 km/s 
 1919:45  T+9:25 Stage 3 cutoff 7.580  

 

1919:47  SECS/TERCEL sep 
 1921:32  Stage 3 end of tx 
1990 Apr 16   Canister R1 sep 
 0545:07  Canister R1 release Ba at 244E 
1990 Apr 25   Canister R2 sep 
 0449:01  R2 release Ba 
1991 Jan?  end of ops 
1996 Nov 14   Reentered 

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