Trailblazer (satellite)
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This article contains information regarding a satellite that is scheduled to launch in the next 11 days. Details may change as the countdown and ascent progress. Launch details: SpaceX will use a Falcon 1 to launch Trailblazer and two CubeSats for the American Air Force and MDA, and for Malaysia's ATSB. Launch will occur from Omelek Island at Kwajalein Atoll. A Celestis Space burial payload, Explorers, including the remains of astronaut Gordon Cooper and Star Trek actor James Doohan is also being flown. If the launch is successful, it will be the first privately funded liquid-fuelled rocket to reach low Earth orbit. |
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| Trailblazer (satellite) | |
| Organisation | US Air Force/MDA |
|---|---|
| Major contractors | SpaceDev |
| Bus | MMB-100 |
| Mission type | Technology demonstration |
| Launch date | 23 June 2008 |
| Carrier Rocket | Falcon 1 |
| Orbital elements | |
| Regime | LEO |
Trailblazer is a technology demonstration satellite, which will be operated by the United States Air Force and MDA. It was selected for launch under a "Jumpstart" contract, to demonstrate responsiveness, with the final payload being chosen less than a month ahead of the scheduled launch date. It is currently scheduled to launch as the primary payload of the third Falcon 1. Both previous Falcon 1 launches failed to reach orbit.
It was originally built for a cancelled MDA project, and is based on a SpaceDev MMB-100 satellite bus. It is scheduled for launch at 23:00 GMT on 23 June 2008, from Omelek Island. Several other payloads will be launched aboard the same rocket, including two CubeSats for ATSB of Malaysia, and a space burial payload for Celestis, which will remain attatched to the rocket in low Earth orbit.
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