1997-063A
TRW's Lightsat facility at Chantilly, Virginia built STEP Mission 4 (P95-A). for the STP Office at the USAF Space and Missile Systems Center. Launch is mid 1997 by Pegasus XL into a 400 km orbit, with onboard propulsion raising the orbit to 600 km. The mission carries STP experiments for studying the atmosphere and ionosphere.
After a perfect launch by the Pegasus the satellite failed to deploy its solar panels or communicate with the ground. The satellite transmitted for a week before falling silent.
Size is 1.52m x 0.91m. Mass is 403 kg.
| STEP M4 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 Oct 22 | 1215 | L-1011 takeoff from Wallops WFF | |
| 1312 | Launch by Pegasus XL off Virginia coast | ||
| Stage 1 TIG T+0:05 | |||
| Stage 1 MECO T+1:16 | |||
| Stage 1 sep T+1:33 | |||
| Stage 2 TIG T+1:34 | |||
| Stage 2 MECO T+2:46 | |||
| Stage 2 sep T+5m? | |||
| 1318 | Stage 3 TIG T+5m? | ||
| 1321 | Stage 3 MECO T+8m | ||
| 1321 | T+8:48 Orbit insertion | 430 x 511 x 45 | |
| 1997 Oct 22 | Solar panels failed to deploy correctly | ||
| 1997 Oct 31? | end of ops | ||
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