A US Air Force Minotaur 4 rocket is scheduled to launch from the Kodiak Launch Complex in Alaska, between 01:24-02:54 GMT, 19th November, 2010. The launch will loft a group of satellites. The payloads include the USAF STPSat 2 satellite, NASA's microsatellite FASTSAT (Fast, Affordable, Science and Technology Satellite) with the O/OREOS, RAX CubeSat and NanoSail-D spacecraft, two FASTRAC spacecraft from the University of Texas, and the USAF Academy's FalconSat 5 satellite.
The STP-S26 launch includes military and NASA experiments
The Kodiak Launch Complex has its first launch in almost two years Nov. 19, and it's a new type of launch. Instead of the missile defence-related work the complex has done over the last decade, the new launch is for the military's Space Test Program and will bring 16 experiments into low earth orbit. Read more
Cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado have nearly finished integrating the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)-sponsored FalconSAT-5 microsatellite, which soon will undergo system testing before being shipped to Kodiak Launch Complex in Alaska for launch next year. The $11 million FalconSAT-5 will fly as a secondary payload on the Space Test Program's (STP) S26 mission, which is slated to launch on May 28, 2010, on a Minotaur IV modified ICBM.