A Minotaur IV rocket as the twenty-sixth dedicated small launch vehicle mission named STP-S26 for the Department of Defense's Space Test Program that was launched at 4:24 pm, AST, Nov. 19 from Kodiak Launch Complex, LP1 in Kodiak, Alaska. A team of Air Force, NASA, contractor, and Alaska Aerospace Corporation representatives took part in STP's most complex mission in over 20 years. This mission will advance the state-of-the-art of space technologies which will enhance military operational capability and further our scientific knowledge across the DoD. The S26 mission is directed by the Department of Defense Space Test Program and implements a number of capabilities aimed at enabling responsive space access for small experimental satellites and payloads. S26 has seven distinct firsts. These include: The first flight of the STP Standard Interface Vehicle; the first use of Multi-Mission Satellite Operations Center, Ground System Architecture; the first flight of the Minotaur IV Multi-payload Adapter; first use of the Hydrazine Auxiliary Propulsion System to assist the Minotaur IV in obtaining a dual orbit; the first Minotaur IV cubesat deployment; the first cubesat deployed from a free flying EELV Secondary Payload Adapter satellite and the first launch of a Minotaur IV rocket from the Kodiak Launch Complex. This mission is also a significant milestone for STP because it includes the 500th DoD Space Experiment Review Board experiment flown. The DoD Space Experiment Review ...
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