Northrop Grumman’s air-launched Pegasus XL rocket made a low-profile launch for the US Space Force Sunday, in a mission designed to demonstrate the ability to call up and conduct a launch at short notice. The launch occurred off the coast of California during a six-minute window that opened at 01:09 PDT (08:09 UTC). The mission has been classed as a success.
Sunday’s mission was designated Tactically Responsive Launch 2, or TacRL-2. The primary objective of the mission was to demonstrate an ability to call up a satellite to launch at short notice. The actual operation of the satellite – specifics of which have not been disclosed – is secondary to this demonstration.