The sky lit up briefly the evening of May 19th as an Air Force Minotaur I rocket launched the Air Force Research Laboratory‘s TacSat-3 satellite, NASA’s PharmaSat microsatellite and NASA’s CubeSat Technology Demonstration experiments into a low earth orbit. The launch occurred at 7:55 p.m. EDT, 20 minutes into the scheduled launch window.
The team declared the launch event successful after confirming spacecraft fairing and payload separation and on-orbit insertion. This mission marked the third launch of a Minotaur I launch vehicle from NASA Wallops and the eighth Minotaur I mission. TacSat-3 is the first mission whose payload selection process was based on recommendations from combatant commanders around the world. As the primary funding agent for TacSat-3, the Operationally Responsive Space Office (ORS) is responsible for facilitating the transition of the TacSat-3 technology to operational capabilities.
“I am extremely pleased with the performance of the launch and ops team this evening,” said Col. Scott Handy, Mission Director. “All of the important events during the boost phase of the launch occurred as planned, up to and including fairing separation and on-orbit insertion. I would like to thank NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport for their capabilities, Orbital Sciences Corporation for their 16th flawless Minotaur launch and our ORS and AFRL mission partners for their support. I believe we have shown the ability of Air Force Space Command and Air Force Materiel Command to provide the necessary components, personnel and expertise to make operationally responsive space a reality.”
“ORS will be assessing the sensor’s military utility to determine the operational utility of this type of sensor and the low cost spacecraft itself. Once this experiment is complete, that assessment will help transition this rapid imagery to the warfighter,” said Dr. Peter Wegner, Director, Operationally Responsive Space Office.
