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Launch Vehicles
Vehicle family profile

Pegasus

Family-level launch record combining canonical variants, historical missions, public cadence forecasts, and available payload performance specs.

Manufacturer unknownActive
Admin
Variants
3
Canonical variants linked to this family.
Historical missions
46
Missions in the public mission table with actual launch dates.
Peak listed capacity
443 kg
Maximum payload capacity across listed variants and orbits.

Launch Cadence

Historical missions are grouped by actual launch year. Forecast cadence uses family-level launch-rate rows.

YearHistorical missionsForecast launches
200710
200820
201210
201310
201610
201910
202110
202611
202701
202801
202901
203001
203101
203201
203301
203401
203501

Performance Specs

Payload capacity by variant and target orbit when structured capacity rows are available.

VariantOrbitCapacityAltitudeInclinationSource
Pegasus H
LEO443 kgUnknownUnknownManual Pegasus H fallback from Pegasus XL class capacity.
Pegasus XL
LEO443 kgUnknownUnknownManual Pegasus XL public-performance fallback.

Recent Missions

Latest launched missions using variants in this family.

MissionVariantLaunch
LINK Mission
Pegasus XL
Jul 3, 2026
Odyssey Mission
Pegasus XL
Jun 13, 2021
ICON Mission
Pegasus XL
Oct 11, 2019
CYGNSS

Variants

Canonical variants rolled up into this launch vehicle family.

VariantStagesMissionsStatus
Pegasus
Not stated6Retired
Pegasus H
Not stated4Retired
Pegasus XL
Not stated36Active
203601
203701
203801
203901
204001
204101

Forecast Location Split

1 launch location represented.

YearLocationLaunchesConfidenceBasis
2026Air launch | Stargazer carrier aircraft120%Editable low-confidence Pegasus annual throughput fallback.
2027Air launch | Stargazer carrier aircraft120%Editable low-confidence Pegasus annual throughput fallback.
2028Air launch | Stargazer carrier aircraft120%Editable low-confidence Pegasus annual throughput fallback.
2029Air launch | Stargazer carrier aircraft120%Editable low-confidence Pegasus annual throughput fallback.
2030Air launch | Stargazer carrier aircraft120%Editable low-confidence Pegasus annual throughput fallback.
2031Air launch | Stargazer carrier aircraft120%Editable low-confidence Pegasus annual throughput fallback.
2032Air launch | Stargazer carrier aircraft120%Editable low-confidence Pegasus annual throughput fallback.
2033Air launch | Stargazer carrier aircraft120%Editable low-confidence Pegasus annual throughput fallback.
2034Air launch | Stargazer carrier aircraft120%Editable low-confidence Pegasus annual throughput fallback.
2035Air launch | Stargazer carrier aircraft120%Editable low-confidence Pegasus annual throughput fallback.
2036Air launch | Stargazer carrier aircraft120%Editable low-confidence Pegasus annual throughput fallback.
2037Air launch | Stargazer carrier aircraft120%Editable low-confidence Pegasus annual throughput fallback.
2038Air launch | Stargazer carrier aircraft120%Editable low-confidence Pegasus annual throughput fallback.
2039Air launch | Stargazer carrier aircraft120%Editable low-confidence Pegasus annual throughput fallback.
2040Air launch | Stargazer carrier aircraft120%Editable low-confidence Pegasus annual throughput fallback.
2041Air launch | Stargazer carrier aircraft120%Editable low-confidence Pegasus annual throughput fallback. Site-year coverage backfill copied nearest prior site-rate row.
Air launch | Stargazer carrier aircraft
2026 · 20% confidence
1

Editable low-confidence Pegasus annual throughput fallback.

Air launch | Stargazer carrier aircraft
2027 · 20% confidence
1

Editable low-confidence Pegasus annual throughput fallback.

Air launch | Stargazer carrier aircraft
2028 · 20% confidence
1

Editable low-confidence Pegasus annual throughput fallback.

Air launch | Stargazer carrier aircraft
2029 · 20% confidence
1

Editable low-confidence Pegasus annual throughput fallback.

Air launch | Stargazer carrier aircraft
2030 · 20% confidence
1

Editable low-confidence Pegasus annual throughput fallback.

Air launch | Stargazer carrier aircraft
2031 · 20% confidence
1

Editable low-confidence Pegasus annual throughput fallback.

Pegasus XL
Dec 15, 2016
IRIS Mission
Pegasus XL
Jun 28, 2013
NuSTAR Mission
Pegasus XL
Jun 13, 2012
IBEX/Star 27
Pegasus XL
Oct 19, 2008
C/NOFS Mission
Pegasus XL
Apr 16, 2008

Forecasted Missions

Upcoming mission rows with announced launch timing.

MissionVariantAnnounced

No forecasted missions

No upcoming announced mission rows are linked to this vehicle family.

Track
Air launch | Stargazer carrier aircraft
2032 · 20% confidence
1

Editable low-confidence Pegasus annual throughput fallback.

Air launch | Stargazer carrier aircraft
2033 · 20% confidence
1

Editable low-confidence Pegasus annual throughput fallback.

Air launch | Stargazer carrier aircraft
2034 · 20% confidence
1

Editable low-confidence Pegasus annual throughput fallback.

Air launch | Stargazer carrier aircraft
2035 · 20% confidence
1

Editable low-confidence Pegasus annual throughput fallback.

Air launch | Stargazer carrier aircraft
2036 · 20% confidence
1

Editable low-confidence Pegasus annual throughput fallback.

Air launch | Stargazer carrier aircraft
2037 · 20% confidence
1

Editable low-confidence Pegasus annual throughput fallback.

Mentions
55
All verified mentions of this launch vehicle family in source documents.
0.0-5.0
Actions

NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility completed encapsulation of Katalyst Space Technologies’ LINK robotic servicing satellite inside a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket.

RelationshipsCapabilityPlanValue 4.6Jun 14, 2026High-Stakes Rescue: Commercial Satellite Servicer Encapsulated for Swift Telescope Orbital Boost
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NASA integrated Katalyst Space’s LINK robotic servicing spacecraft on a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket at NASA Wallops.

PlanCapabilityRelationshipsValue 4.2Jun 11, 2026NASA prepara il test che potrebbe estendere la vita di Swift

Link arrived at Wallops, Virginia, on 5 June for integration with a Pegasus XL rocket.

PlanGeneralValue 2.0Jun 9, 2026La NASA considera reimpulsar el telescopio Hubble si logra reducir sus costes operativos

Katalyst's LINK spacecraft has left its factory and is heading to Wallops for integration onto Northrop's Pegasus rocket.

PlanRelationshipsValue 4.0Jun 3, 2026Katalyst's LINK spacecraft has left their factory and is heading to Wallops where it'll be integrated onto Northrop's Pegasus rocket! Launch from the Marshall Islands is expected in the last week of June. Alongside, they shared these phenomenal images of the ion thrusters firing!

Northrop Grumman is preparing its Pegasus rocket and Stargazer L-1011 aircraft for a mission with Katalyst Space to extend the operational life of the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory.

PlanRelationshipsValue 4.0May 29, 2026Northrop Grumman avvia la missione per Swift Observatory

During vibration testing at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, engineers simulated launch vibrations for LINK on a Northrop Grumman Pegasus rocket.

CapabilityValue 4.2May 11, 2026NASA testa LINK per salvare Neil Gehrels Swift in orbita

An L-1011 aircraft will drop the Pegasus rocket from the Marshall Islands later in the same month.

PlanGeneralValue 3.0May 11, 2026NASA testa LINK per salvare Neil Gehrels Swift in orbita

Northrop Grumman will integrate LINK into the Pegasus rocket at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia in early June.

RelationshipsPlanCapabilityValue 4.0May 11, 2026NASA testa LINK per salvare Neil Gehrels Swift in orbita

In early June, LINK will be transported to NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia for integration with a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket.

PlanValue 4.0May 10, 2026Katalyst Space Technologies Completes Environmental Testing for Swift Mission

Katalyst’s LINK spacecraft is scheduled to launch aboard Northrop Grumman’s Pegasus rocket as early as June 1.

PlanRelationshipsValue 4.0Apr 17, 2026Katalyst's LINK spacecraft for the Swift Rescue Mission has arrived at NASA Goddard for environmental testing! LINK will attempt to rendezvous with NASA's Swift Observatory and raise its orbit. Launch aboard Northrop Grumman's Pegasus rocket is scheduled for as early as June 1st.

Katalyst Space Technologies plans to launch the spacecraft supporting Swift in June on a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket.

PlanCapabilityValue 4.0Mar 26, 2026Arianespace lanzará en 2027 el satélite Nexus-1 capaz de acoplarse a otros

Katalyst has selected Northrop Grumman's Pegasus-XL rocket to launch the Swift Rescue Mission.

RelationshipsPlanValue 4.3Jan 14, 2026Source

Katalyst has selected Northrop Grumman's Pegasus-XL rocket to launch the Swift Rescue Mission.

PlanRelationshipsValue 4.0Nov 19, 2025Katalyst has selected Northrop Grumman's Pegasus-XL rocket to launch the Swift Rescue Mission! After launch, Katalyst' Link robotic servicer will rendezvous with NASA's Swift Observatory and raise it to a higher orbit. Launch is scheduled for June 2026.

The Launch Availability page of SpaceLaunch lists the Pegasus rocket, which has not flown since June 2021, along with Isar Aerospace, Latitude, and PLD Space.

PlanValue 2.0Sep 24, 2025Avio Signs Deal to Launch Satellite for “Extra-European” Customer

The Pegasus rocket, developed by Orbital ATK, was launched by Northrop Grumman and demonstrated a gravitational drag penalty of 3.6 meters per second per kilometer at over 70 kilometers altitude.

CapabilityRelationshipsValue 4.0May 13, 2024Spaceplanes: why we need them, why they have failed, and how they can succeed

The Space Force flew the Tactically Responsive Launch-2 (TacRL-2) mission in 2021 on a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.

PlanGeneralValue 4.0Mar 20, 2023U.S. Space Force budget includes $60 million for ‘tactically responsive space’

The Space Force conducted the Tactically Responsive Launch-2 (TacRL-2) mission in June 2021 using Northrop Grumman’s air-launched Pegasus XL rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base, with Northrop Grumman given 21 days’ notice to prepare for launch.

PlanRelationshipsCapabilityValue 4.2Oct 10, 2022Launch on demand: If satellites are shot down, will Space Force be ready to restock?

A similar Victus Nox payload was launched in June 2021 for the TacRL-2 mission on a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.

GeneralValue 4.0May 12, 2022Space Force to select small rocket for ‘responsive space’ mission

TacRL-2 launched a surveillance satellite developed in less than a year on a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket deployed from a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar carrier aircraft.

PlanCapabilityGeneralValue 4.0Sep 2, 2021Virgin Orbit eyes growth in military ‘responsive’ launch

The Space Force launched the Tactically Responsive Launch-2 (TacRL-2) mission on a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket.

PlanCapabilityGeneralValue 4.5Aug 30, 2021HASC chairman wants updated DoD plan for ‘tactically responsive space launch’