Stargazer (aircraft)

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Stargazer
U.S. Space Force successfully launches first tactically responsive launch mission 210613-F-XXZZZ-0001.jpg
Stargazer in Northrop Grumman livery, carrying the Pegasus XL for the TacRL-2 mission from Vandenberg in June 2021
General information
Type Lockheed L-1011 TriStar
StatusIn service
Owners
Construction number193E-1067
Registration
  • C-FTNJ [1] (1974–1992)
  • N140SC [2] (1992–present)
History
First flightFebruary 22, 1974
In service1974–present

Stargazer is a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar built in 1974 and modified in 1994 by Orbital Sciences (now part of Northrop Grumman) to serve as the mother ship for the Pegasus, an air-launched orbital rocket. As of June 2021, it has conducted 39 Pegasus launches carrying nearly 100 satellites. [3] [4] It is the only airworthy L-1011 remaining in service as of 2025. [5]

Contents

Although Stargazer has not supported a Pegasus launch since 2021, it has continued to fly regular missions for undisclosed customers, including missile and flight-test work.

History

The Stargazer aircraft when it was in passenger service for Air Canada, pictured in London in 1985 Lockheed L-1011-385-1-15 TriStar 100, Air Canada AN1120415.jpg
The Stargazer aircraft when it was in passenger service for Air Canada, pictured in London in 1985

The aircraft is an L-1011-100, the second production variant of the TriStar, which incorporated a new center fuel tank and higher gross weights that increased its range over the initial L-1011-1. It carries Lockheed construction number 1067. The airframe first entered service with Air Canada in March 1974 as C-FTNJ, and was briefly leased to Air Lanka for a few weeks in February 1982, during which it was registered as 4R-TNJ. Air Canada placed the aircraft into storage at Marana in November 1990. [6]

Orbital Sciences purchased the airframe in May 1992 and contracted Marshall Aerospace in the United Kingdom to modify it as the carrier aircraft for the Pegasus air-launched orbital vehicle. Before selecting the L-1011, the company evaluated alternatives including the Boeing B-52, Boeing 747, and DC-10, comparing altitude and speed performance, modification requirements, and overall operating costs. [7] [8]

The name Stargazer is considered an inside joke: in Star Trek: The Next Generation , First Officer William Riker previously served aboard a starship named Pegasus, while Captain Jean-Luc Picard had earlier served aboard a starship named Stargazer. [6]

Stargazer supported its first Pegasus mission on June 27, 1994, during the maiden flight of the Pegasus XL. Earlier Pegasus launches used NASA's B-52 "Balls 8", which remained in use for several missions because the original Pegasus design lacked sufficient clearance to be deployed from the L-1011. The "Hybrid" Pegasus variant introduced in April 1995 resolved this issue, by placing canted fins similar to those on the Pegasus XL on the Standard Pegasus, allowing all subsequent flights to be carried by Stargazer.

Stargazer launching Pegasus with the Space Technology 5 mission in 2006 Lockheed TriStar launches Pegasus with Space Technology 5.jpg
Stargazer launching Pegasus with the Space Technology 5 mission in 2006

About half of all Pegasus launches carried by Stargazer have originated from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Additional missions have been flown from Florida's Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center, Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, and from overseas sites including Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands and Gando Air Base in Spain. [9]

Stargazer is also periodically chartered for research missions and flight-test activities unrelated to Pegasus. [10] [11] It can carry a 51,000 pounds (23,000 kg) payload to an altitude of 42,000 feet (13,000 m). [12]

In 2010, the aircraft was re-engined with Rolls-Royce RB.211-524 turbofans, which had been designed for the improved L-1011-500, which generate 50,000 pounds-force (220 kN) of thrust, replacing the original RB.211-22 engines which generated 42,000 pounds-force (190 kN). [13] The aircraft was repainted in 2015 following the formation of Orbital ATK, and again in 2018 after the company was acquired by Northrop Grumman. [14] [15]

Stargazer in Orbital ATK livery carrying a Pegasus XL rocket Stargazer and Pegasus F43 in flight over Atlantic (KSC-20161212-PH LAL01 0009).jpg
Stargazer in Orbital ATK livery carrying a Pegasus XL rocket

Since 2016, has launched only three times, most recently on the TacRL-2 mission in June 2021. Despite the long gap, Northrop Grumman has stated that both Pegasus and Stargazer remain flight-ready. Company officials have noted that the aircraft may be the last airworthy L-1011 still flying, which has allowed the operator to obtain spare parts at unusually favorable prices. Although Stargazer has not supported a Pegasus launch since 2021, it has continued to fly regular missions for undisclosed customers involving missile and flight-test work. A Pegasus launch is currently scheduled for mid-2026. [11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Canadian Civil Aircraft Register (C-FTNJ)". Transport Canada.
  2. ↑ "FAA Registry (N140SC)". Federal Aviation Administration.
  3. ↑ "Aircraft Registration Database Lookup". www.airframes.org. Archived from the original on October 26, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Pegasus". Northrop Grumman. Archived from the original on July 26, 2023. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  5. ↑ Clark, Stephen (October 10, 2019). "Rockets purchased by Stratolaunch back under Northrop Grumman control". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on December 8, 2019. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  6. 1 2 Miller, Ken (Summer 2012). "Aircraft Models - Stargazer L1011" (PDF). The Captain’s Log. No. 37–1. World Airline Historical Society. pp. 9–10.
  7. ↑ Bergin, Chris (August 27, 2018). "ICON resets for October launch from the East Coast". NASA Spaceflight. Archived from the original on June 23, 2021.
  8. ↑ Mosier, Marty; Rutkowski, Ed (1993). "Pegasus XL Development and L-1011 Pegasus Carrier Aircraft". Utah State University Libraries. Orbital Sciences Corporation. Archived from the original on September 23, 2022.
  9. ↑ Krebs, Gunter. "Pegasus". Gunter's Space Page. Archived from the original on August 3, 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  10. ↑ ""Stargazer" L-1011 Carrier Aircraft". Orbital Sciences Corporation. Archived from the original on April 20, 2014. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  11. 1 2 Foust, Jeff (November 19, 2025). "Katalyst selects Pegasus to launch Swift reboost mission". Space News. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  12. ↑ "L-1011 Fact Sheet" (PDF). Orbital Sciences Corporation. 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 22, 2014. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  13. ↑ Norris, Guy (May 4, 2022). "Riding Along For An L-1011 Air Launch Flight Demonstration". Aviation Week Network. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  14. ↑ Ray, Justin (April 19, 2015). "Photo: New Orbital ATK paint job for Pegasus carrier jet". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  15. ↑ Granath, Bob (November 7, 2018). "Stargazer Aircraft Airborne with Pegasus XL, ICON Satellite". NASA. Archived from the original on October 26, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
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