S26 Minotaur Mission Launched

By Michael Mecham

Seven nano-to-mini-sized satellites on the U.S. Defense Department’s Space Development Program’s 26th mission (STP-S26) began deploying just 17 min. after an Orbital Sciences Minotaur IV lifted them to a 403-mi. high orbit Nov. 19 from Alaska Aerospace’s Kodiak launch site in Alaska.

It was the first Kodiak launch for the four-stage, ...

---