The U.S.A.F. will attempt to launch a Minotaur I rocket carrying with it the Air Force Research Laboratory’s TacSat-3 satellite, NASA’s PharmaSat microsatellite and NASA’s CubeSat Technology Demonstration experiments — this is the fourth attempt to launch the rocket from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility Pad 0B and it will occur on May 19th during a four hour long launch window, starting at 7:35 p.m. EDT. A backup date of May 20th has also been established, should such become necessary. The launch windows are identical for both days.

Bad weather unfortunately forced the mission team to scrub two attempts to launch last week. On the third attempt last Friday, the mission team experienced difficulties with ground support equipment at the pad. Two minutes before launch, an anomalous Flight Termination System reading occurred that required the launch attempt be scrubbed. Since then, the FTS performance has been characterized and Orbital Sciences and SMC leadership have approved the new date for the next launch attempt.

The TacSat-3 launch will be the third Minotaur vehicle launched from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport’s launch pad 0B on Wallops Island. Air Force Space Command’s Space and Missile Systems Center’s Space Development and Test Wing at Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, has overall management of the mission. Orbital Sciences Corporation’s Launch Systems Group is on contract to support the Space Development and Test Wing. The Minotaur I is a 69-foot high, five-foot wide, four-stage vehicle using residual Minuteman II first and second stages in combination with the upper two stages shared with Orbital’s Pegasus XL and Taurus XL commercial  space launch vehicles. In addition to the U.S.A.F.’s SDTW and AFRL, other mission participants include the DoD Operationally Responsive Space office, NASA, and the Hawk Institute in Pocomoke City, Maryland.

Colonel Scott Handy, the Mission Director for the launch, said, “Everyone was obviously disappointed at the outcome of last week’s launch attempts. But now that the FTS performance criteria has been looked at and characterized, we feel we will be in good shape for our launch attempt on May 19th. Thanks again to all of our mission team partners for their continued support.” And Dr. Thomas Cooley, the program manager for TacSat-3, added, “Patience, persistence and perseverance have resonated throughout the TacSat-3 program since its inception five years ago. So the project team remains upbeat and optimistic that the spacecraft will be launched on May 19th. The satellite’s launch status remains “green” for the upcoming launch attempt on that date.  The liftoff delays have allowed the mission team to continue to focus on conducting a successful year-long mission to explore innovative techniques to bring the power of space into the hands of Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors and Marines deployed around the world.”