1997-084F
8 satellites were launched to plane A on 1997 Dec 23. Each had mass 41 kg, was 1.0m dia and 0.17m high. Future planes would be B,C,D and G. The Pegasus XL rocket, launched from Wallops Island, entered transfer orbit, with the HAPS stage circularizing, dispensing, and then lowering perigee.
The HAPS stage was the first to be integrated by Primex rather than Orbital. It was also the first to make a depletion burn to avoid repeating the debris explosion of the second HAPS flight in 1994.
| Orbcomm A1 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 Dec 23 | 1813 | L-1011 takeoff from WFF | |
| 100 km E of Virginia, 12 km alt | |||
| 1911:42 | T+0:00 Drop by L-1011 | ||
| 1911:47 | Launch by Pegasus XL/HAPS | ||
| T+1:17 Pegasus stage 1 burnout | |||
| T+1:38 Stage 2 burn | |||
| T+2:18 Fairing sep | |||
| T+2:49 Stage 2 burnout | |||
| T+6:14 Stage 2 sep | |||
| 1917 | T+6:14 Stage 3 burn | ||
| 1919:03 | T+7:21 Stage 3 burnout | ||
| 1920:02 | T+8:20 Stage 3 sep | 298 x 734 x 5.0 | |
| 1920:03 | T+8:21 HAPS burn 1 34s | ||
| 1920:37 | T+8:55 HAPS cutoff, transfer orbit | 300? x 825? x 45.0 | |
| 2004:21? | T+52:39 HAPS burn 2 223s | ||
| 2008:04? | T+56:22 HAPS cutoff | 825 x 836 x 45.0 | |
| 2008 | T+57:02 A5 sep | ||
| 2010 | T+59:02 A6 sep | ||
| 2012 | T+61:02 A7 sep | ||
| 2014 | T+1:03:02 A8 sep | ||
| 2016 | T+1:05:02 A1 sep | ||
| 2018 | T+1:07:02 A2 sep | ||
| 2020 | T+1:09:02 A3 sep | ||
| 2022 | T+1:11:02 A4 sep | ||
| 2025? | HAPS depletion | 97.1 410 x 827 x 42.7 | |
