C/NOFS (P00-3)

Launch data: Designation  32765 / 08017A Launch date  16 Apr 2008 - 17:02 UT Launch site  L1011 Aircraft, Kwajalein Launch vehicle  Pegasus-XL Mission  Military: Technology Development Science: Weather forecasting LEO Earth orbit on: Perigee / Apogee  406 x 853 km Eccentricity  3.19E-02 Inclination  13.0° Period  97.29 min

Mission details:

• The DoD Space Test Program's P00-3 space weather forecasting mission, C/NOFS was launched by an Orbital Sciences Pegasus on Apr 16. The L-1011 carrier plane took off from Kwajalein atoll at 1604:00 UTC on Apr 16, and dropped the Pegasus at 1702:48. Ignition of stage 1 followed, as normal, 5 seconds later. The drop point was 10.5229N 167.7562E (geodetic), which is a little to the north of the HETE-2 drop point.
• Planned orbit was 375 x 720 km x 13 deg.
• C/NOFS is a research satellite carring ionospheric instruments, including the Aerospace Corp.'s CORISS receiver which uses GPS signals to determine electron densities in the ionosphere, and NRL's CERTO ionospheric radio beacon.
• The spacecraft was built by General Dynamics C4 Systems (former Spectrum Astro) and is managed by DoD-STP and AFRL (the Air Force Research Lab). It will forecast ionospheric scintillation which causes problems with communications and GPS signals; the satellite will deploy six 10-meter booms.
• C/NOFS is currently (May 2008) in a 405 x 851 km x 13.0 deg orbit.