Pegasus family
Pegasus XL
The Pegasus is an air-launched rocket developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation (now part of Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems). Capable of carrying small payloads of up to 443 kilograms (977 lb) into low Earth orbit, the vehicle consists of three solid propellant stages and an optional monopropellant fourth stage. Pegasus is released from its carrier aircraft at approximately 40,000 ft (12,000 m), and its first stage has a wing and a tail to provide lift and attitude control while in the atmosphere.
Flights flown32
Success rate90.6%29/32
Payload to LEO443kg
Cost per kg to LEO$90,293$40M per launch
Maiden flight1994-06-27
Peak year19964 flights
Pegasus XL is built by Orbital Sciences Corporation of the United States. Company background, funding, contracts and news for this operator are tracked on Space Index. It first flew on 27 June 1994.
Flight record
90.6% success rate29 of 32 flown · 3 failed
1994peak 1996 · 4 flights2026
First flight1994-06-27
Latest flight2026-07-03
Failures3
Consecutive successes26
Fastest turnaround6d 6h
Payload
| Low Earth orbit | 443kg |
|---|---|
| Launch cost | $40M |
| Cost per kg to LEO | $90,293 |
Vehicle
| Stages | 3 |
|---|---|
| Length | 17.6m |
| Diameter | 1.27m |
| Launch mass | 23t |
| Liftoff thrust | 580kN |
| Maiden flight | 1994-06-27 |
| Reusable | No |
Pads used
Orbits delivered
Low Earth Orbit5Sun-Synchronous Orbit2
Compare
Launch history
| Date | Mission | Pad | Orbit | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-03 | Pegasus XL | Swift Boost Mission | Kwajalein Atoll | Low Earth Orbit | Success |
| 2021-06-13 | Pegasus XL | Odyssey (TacRL-2) | Vandenberg Space Force Base | Sun-Synchronous Orbit | Success |
| 2019-10-11 | Pegasus XL | Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) | Cape Canaveral | Low Earth Orbit | Success |
| 2016-12-15 | Pegasus XL | 8 x CYGNSS | Cape Canaveral | Low Earth Orbit | Success |
| 2013-06-28 | Pegasus XL | Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) | Vandenberg Space Force Base | Sun-Synchronous Orbit | Success |
| 2012-06-13 | Pegasus XL | Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) | Kwajalein Atoll | Low Earth Orbit | Success |
| 2008-10-19 | Pegasus XL | Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) | Kwajalein Atoll | Success | |
| 2008-04-16 | Pegasus XL | Communications/Navigation Outage Forecasting System (C/NOFS) | Kwajalein Atoll | Success | |
| 2007-04-25 | Pegasus XL | Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) | Vandenberg Space Force Base | Success | |
| 2006-03-28 | Pegasus XL | Space Technology 5 (ST-5) (3x microsats) | Vandenberg Space Force Base | Success | |
| 2006-03-22 | Pegasus XL | ST-5 FWD | Vandenberg Space Force Base | Low Earth Orbit | Success |
| 2005-04-15 | Pegasus XL | Demonstration for Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) | Vandenberg Space Force Base | Success | |
| 2003-08-13 | Pegasus XL | SCISAT-1 | Vandenberg Space Force Base | Success | |
| 2003-06-26 | Pegasus XL | OrbView-3 | Vandenberg Space Force Base | Success | |
| 2003-04-28 | Pegasus XL | Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) | Cape Canaveral | Success | |
| 2003-01-25 | Pegasus XL | Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE) | Cape Canaveral | Success | |
| 2002-02-05 | Pegasus XL | Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) | Cape Canaveral | Success | |
| 2000-06-07 | Pegasus XL | Tri-Services Experiments Platform-5 (TSX-5) | Vandenberg Space Force Base | Success | |
| 1999-03-05 | Pegasus XL | Wide Field Infrared Explorer (WIRE) | Vandenberg Space Force Base | Success | |
| 1998-12-06 | Pegasus XL | Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite (SWAS) | Vandenberg Space Force Base | Success | |
| 1998-04-02 | Pegasus XL | Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE) | Vandenberg Space Force Base | Success | |
| 1998-02-26 | Pegasus XL | Broadband Advanced Technologies Satellite (BATSAT/Teledesic T1) & Student Nitric Oxide Explorer (SNOE) | Vandenberg Space Force Base | Success | |
| 1997-10-22 | Pegasus XL | Space Test Experiments Platform-4 (STEP-4) | Wallops Flight Facility | Success | |
| 1997-08-29 | Pegasus XL | Fast On-orbit Rapid Recording of Transient Events (FORTE) | Space Launch Complex 10E | Success | |
| 1997-08-01 | Pegasus XL | OrbView-2 | Vandenberg Space Force Base | Success | |
| 1997-04-21 | Pegasus XL | Minisat & Celestis Space Burial #1 | Gran Canaria | Success | |
| 1996-11-04 | Pegasus XL | High Energy Transient Explorer (HETE) & Satelite de Aplicaciones Cientificas-B (SAC-B) | Wallops Flight Facility | Failure | |
| 1996-08-21 | Pegasus XL | Fast Auroral Snapshot Explorer (FAST) | Vandenberg Space Force Base | Success | |
| 1996-07-02 | Pegasus XL | Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) | Vandenberg Space Force Base | Success | |
| 1996-03-09 | Pegasus XL | REX II | Vandenberg Space Force Base | Success | |
| 1995-06-22 | Pegasus XL | Space Test Experiments Platform-3 (STEP-3) | Vandenberg Space Force Base | Failure | |
| 1994-06-27 | Pegasus XL | Space Test Experiments Platform 1 (STEP-1) | Vandenberg Space Force Base | Failure |
Specifications from Launch Library 2 by The Space Devs, launch records from Space Index. Derived figures are computed here; see sources and method.
Further reading: Wikipedia