VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, CALIF. - Orbital Sciences' Pegasus launch vehicle rockets away from the L-1011 jet aircraft after being released. Pegasus carries the Space Technology 5 spacecraft with its trio of micro-satellites that will be launched in a "string of pearls" sequence on a near-Earth polar elliptical orbit that will take them from approximately 190 miles (300 kilometers) to 2,800 miles (4,500 kilometers) from the planet. The three spacecraft will conduct science validation using measurements of the Earth's magnetic field collected by the miniature boom-mounted magnetometers on each.
Location Vandenberg AFB, CA
Date March 22, 2006