NASA’s Pegasus booster has been mated to its Space Technology mission 5, or ST5, payload combination in preparation to be moved from the hangar to the runway, and the rocket’s Lockheed L-1011 carrier aircraft arrived at Vandenberg Monday.
The ST5 project involves the launch of three micro-satellites, or micro-sats, intended to collect data from their precise orbits on Earth’s magnetic field. The mission is scheduled to operate for at least 90 days.
The Pegasus/ST5 combination is scheduled to be transported to the Vandenberg runway and mated to the L-1011 on Friday. An integrated launch vehicle/spacecraft combined systems test and an ST5 state-of-health check is scheduled for March 11, and the launch is planned for March 14.
The ST5 Project is a part of NASA’s New Millennium program, created to “identify, develop, build, and test innovative technologies and concepts for use in future missions,” the space agency said in a statement.
