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Pegasus XL Mated to L-1011 Stargazer Carrier Aircraft

Pegasus XL Mated to L-1011 Stargazer Carrier Aircraft
Pegasus XL Mated to L-1011 Stargazer Carrier Aircraft

At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, an Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket is mated to the company’s L-1011 carrier aircraft near Vandenberg’s runway. On board Pegasus are eight NASA Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System, or CYGNSS, spacecraft. When preparations are competed at Vandenberg, the L-1011/Pegasus XL combination will be flown to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. On Dec. 12, 2016, the carrier aircraft is scheduled to take off from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and CYGNSS will launch on the Pegasus XL rocket with the L-1011 flying off shore. CYGNSS satellites will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes.

Photo credit: NASA/Dan Herrera of the U.S. Air Force 30th Space Wing