Mission controllers said Friday the second launch attempt of the Pegasus rocket carrying the three micro-satellites in NASA’s Space Technology 5 mission will be made no earlier than March 22 and probably later.
The first launch attempt March 15 was called off after a locking pin failed to retract aboard the Pegasus just prior to the rocket’s release from the L-1011 lifting aircraft. Orbital Sciences Corporation, the rocket’s manufacturer and owner of the L-1011, and NASA engineers are working to determine and correct the problem, the officials said in a statement.
The ST5 mission is part of NASA’s New Millennium project, which was established to test micro-sats such as the three carried by the Pegasus to test and validate new technologies for future low-cost science missions.
The three ST5 spacecraft, to be launched into a polar orbit, are designed to collect data on Earth’s magnetic field for at least 90 days.
