Northrop Grumman’s Pegasus rocket launches military satellite
Early this morning Northrop Grumman’s Pegasus rocket successfully launched a military satellite under a program aimed at demonstrating a quick launch capability.
This was the first Pegasus launch since 2019, and only the fifth in the past twelve years. According to the article, Northrop Grumman significantly lowered its price for this launch, charging the Space Force $28.1 million, about half of what it charged NASA for that 2019 flight. Whether this is an effort to make the rocket more competitive, or is simply Northrop Grumman selling off its inventory, will remain to be seen.
The leaders in the 2021 launch race:
18 SpaceX
16 China
8 Russia
2 Rocket Lab
2 ULA
2 Northrop Grumman
The U.S. now leads China 25 to 16 in the national rankings.
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Early this morning Northrop Grumman’s Pegasus rocket successfully launched a military satellite under a program aimed at demonstrating a quick launch capability.
This was the first Pegasus launch since 2019, and only the fifth in the past twelve years. According to the article, Northrop Grumman significantly lowered its price for this launch, charging the Space Force $28.1 million, about half of what it charged NASA for that 2019 flight. Whether this is an effort to make the rocket more competitive, or is simply Northrop Grumman selling off its inventory, will remain to be seen.
The leaders in the 2021 launch race:
18 SpaceX
16 China
8 Russia
2 Rocket Lab
2 ULA
2 Northrop Grumman
The U.S. now leads China 25 to 16 in the national rankings.
The fourth week in my annual July fund-raising campaign for Behind the Black has now begun. Please consider donating to Behind the Black, by giving either a one-time contribution or a regular subscription, as outlined below. Your support will allow me to continue covering science and culture as I have for the past twenty years, independent and free from any outside influence.
Moreover, this year if you donate $35 or more I will send you one of the following ebooks, for free.
- Conscious Choice
- Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8
- Leaving Earth: Space Stations, Rival Superpowers, and the Quest for Interplanetary Travel
- Pioneer
You pick the book. And the donation will also get you an email directly from me, the author, arranging electronic delivery.
I do not accept advertisements, nor do not participate in corrupt social media companies like Google, Twitter, and Facebook. I depend wholly on the direct support of my readers.
You can provide that support Behind The Black with a contribution via Patreon or PayPal. To use Patreon, go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation. For PayPal click one of the following buttons:
If Patreon or Paypal don't work for you, you can support Behind The Black directly by sending your donation by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman, to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
The article states that “Pegasus uses Orion 50 solid rocket motors for its first and second stages, with an Orion-38 third stage.” I’d bet that the folks at Lockheed would protest and say that the actual first stage is their L1011 TriStar mothership.
Considering that the L-1011 only adds 600 MPH to the total of 17,000 MPH needed for orbit, its not much of a first stage!