clarinews@clarinet.com (02/05/90)
MAGNA, Utah (UPI) -- The first flight of the Pegasus launch vehicle is set for March 2 from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., according to Hercules Aerospace officials. Pegasus, basically a winged rocket, is designed to cheaply lift relatively small satellites -- those weighing 900 pounds or less -- into Earth orbit. The three-stage, solid-fuel rocket is attached beneath the wing of an airplane, such as a B-52 bomber, and then flown to an altitude of about 43,000 feet for launch. That dramatically reduces the craft's fuel needs. Pegasus is a joint project between Hercules, Magna, and Orbital Sciences Corp., Fairfax, Va. Hercules is providing the propulsion system for the launch vehicle. The first launch will carry a Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) communications satellite, said Robert Lovell, OSC Space Systems Division president. And Lovell said DARPA and the Air Force have contracted for additional Pegasus flights in mid-1990 and early 1991.