Orbital Sciences Corporation's Pegasus rocket today successfully launched seven OrbComm data communications satellites into low-Earth orbit in a mission that originated from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Southeastern Virginia. At about 1:53 p.m. Eastern time, the Pegasus rocket was released from its carrier aircraft over the Atlantic Ocean.
Approximately one hour later, Pegasus deployed all seven satellites into their targeted orbits approximately 510 miles (825 kilometers) above the Earth.
A team of Orbital and OrbComm satellite engineers have begun a series of early in-orbit tests to confirm that the satellites are operating as planned.
Following this initial evaluation phase, the engineering team will engage in a more comprehensive series of performance tests that could last as long as several months prior to placing the satellites into commercial service.
This mission represented the 14th consecutive success for the Pegasus rocket and the seven Orbital-built new satellites represent the 29th through 35th satellites in OrbComm's data communications network.
