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exploring the universe is a daunting

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task

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there are often immense challenges that

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must be overcome before even setting out

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on a mission

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the ionospheric connection explorer or

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icon has faced multiple barriers that

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have delayed its journey to study the

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frontier of space

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the dynamic zone high in our atmosphere

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where earth's weather meets space

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weather

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but before we can reap the benefits of

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its scientific research icon must launch

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successfully

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the icon team's can do spirit will be

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repeatedly pushed to its limits while

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striving for a long-awaited and

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hard-earned t-zero

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[Music]

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a successful space launch requires

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flawless execution of a highly complex

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machine and pegasus icon is no different

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during previous attempts we observed

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some anomalous readings we worked

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through that with nasa and implemented

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corrective actions this will ensure a

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highly successful mission

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perseverance is doing something despite

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difficulty or delay in achieving success

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it's a required virtue when the subject

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is space flight and the focus is a

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successful mission just like any rocket

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you have your share of problems that you

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run into because this is rocket science

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after all

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issues arose but dedication never

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wavered the entire icon team knew this

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was about more than just rocket science

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it was about the payload science that

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would benefit all of humanity

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as with every nasa program giving up is

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never an option it has taken us months

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hours days to really

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resolve all these issues with this

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integrated team

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and thankfully we were able to get

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through him and here we are getting

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[Music]

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the ionosphere is not only the area

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through which radio communications and

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gps signals travel

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it's also the space where many critical

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satellites and spacecraft orbit

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including the space station that houses

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[Music]

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but despite the importance of this

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region it is not well known

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that's why nasa and the university of

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california berkeley built icon

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the ionosphere itself where icon will be

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doing most of its work is where the gps

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signals travel through it's where

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astronauts travel and so it's very very

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key for us to understand this region

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because it has profound effects on us

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here on earth because of what space

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weather is doing to us but it also gets

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profound effects of what our earth

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weather is doing to the ionosphere

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by studying how the ionosphere reacts to

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earth's atmosphere it will help

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scientists and meteorologists forecast

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the conditions in our space environment

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reducing its negative effects on our

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technology

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from 360 miles above earth at a 27

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degree inclination

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icon will sample ionospheric variations

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in the lower boundaries of space over

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the course of hours days seasons and

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decades

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traveling at more than four miles per

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second or about 30 times faster than a

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commercial airliner this satellite will

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examine how the ionosphere reacts to our

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planet's weather

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the ionosphere is highly variable more

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variable than we ever expected now we

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think that the answer to understanding

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the conditions in the ionosphere and

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being able to predict those conditions

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relies on our ability to understand how

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weather below is forcing space weather

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above so icons built to capture all the

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information that we think we need to

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understand the mechanisms and the

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process by which our lower atmosphere

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affects our upper atmosphere icon will

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be sent into orbit by a northrop grumman

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pegasus xl air launched rocket

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the rocket has three solid propellant

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stages

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and can deploy satellites weighing up to

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1 000 pounds into low earth orbit

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we selected the pegasus xcel launch

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vehicle it provided an excellent

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combination of mission performance and

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flexibility for the mission design for a

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spacecraft of the mass of icon the

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launch of icon will be anything but

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ordinary it will be carried on the

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underbelly of northrup grumman's l-1011

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stargazer aircraft a launch pad far

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above the clouds in the sky the one

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unique thing about pegasus is that it's

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air launched so the l-1011 which is the

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last flying plane of its kind it is

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essentially our launch pad and air it's

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a mobile launch pad that flies up to

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about 40 thousand feet and that's where

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we launch the pegasus from with the

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tireless effort by the team to reach

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mission success it is time for icon to

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prepare for another launch attempt there

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are no constraints on these for all

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involved this is familiar territory yet

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something feels different this time

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taking a little extra time and extra

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care with the launch vehicle but we're

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about there why i'm excited right now is

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that we're getting so close to launch

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and it has taken a huge effort to get

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vandenberg air force base in california

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is bustling with activity the excitement

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is palpable as icon literally comes

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together

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pegasus stages one two and three are

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assembled

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the aft skirt and fin installation are

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now complete

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icon solar array illumination is tested

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and finally the spacecraft is mated to

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pegasus

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[Music]

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once it's mated to the rocket there

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there'll be a compatibility test between

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the rocket

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have will be the interface to

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communicate to icon so we can command it

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once uh once we certify that we will

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encapsulate it we'll put it on a

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transport platform roll it out to the

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hotpad and then integrate it to the

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l-1011

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now that processing and mating are

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complete the icon mission takes off from

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vandenberg

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hours later it arrives at cape canaveral

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air force station skid strip in florida

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important logistics must be coordinated

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with the 45th space wing prior to launch

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once in florida there is a week of

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processing and testing prior to launch

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day

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lieutenant samantha parr is in charge of

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making sure icon launches into a safe

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environment i keep track of the weather

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i keep track of our instrumentation and

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i keep track of our surveillance and i

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provide a recommendation to our launch

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decision authority and he or she can

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make a determination on whether or not

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we're clear the launch

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we are now at launch day the team has

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been here before and optimism is guarded

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it's been a lot of work to get here at

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this point we kind of see the end and

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we're looking forward to mission and

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putting the satellite

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into orbit and

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seeing what that science does in the

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future anticipation builds to a fever

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pitch

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[Music]

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so

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the actual time parameters for a launch

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of a pegasus mission is much different

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than your standard uh ground-based

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missile launch that's tied to the fact

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that the pegasus literally has a first

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stage by being on an airplane

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the airplane's at 40 000 feet it's

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moving close to 500 miles an hour it's

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moving you can't stop it you can't slow

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it down it is going and it's dynamic

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the stargazer jet takes off from the

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skid strip at the cape canaveral air

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force station hilton 11 is airborne at

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this time the l-1011 has now reached a

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cruising altitude of 40 000 feet and has

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begun flying in a racetrack pattern we

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fly a pattern called the racetrack

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it's an oval in the sky and so the

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airplane takes off flies through the

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launch point at a lower altitude as it's

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climbing to the point we're going to

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launch it which is roughly 40 thousand

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feet we verify that all of our gps are

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synchronized and ensure that we are

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going to put the launch vehicle in the

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correct heading so that we get the

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spacecraft into the correct orbit

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lc peg go for fin pin retract

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lpo go for fin pen retract and fence

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week

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lc senior memco countdown l1011 is in

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the box

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about 50 miles offshore of daytona beach

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the pegasus xl is released from the

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l-1011 with the countdown we hear

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drop on my mark three two one drop and

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we push a button in the cockpit the

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hydraulic releases actually release the

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rocket pegasus away the rocket drops for

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five seconds the airplane climbs for

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five seconds and at the end we have a

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fairly good safety margin five seconds

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later the pegasus rocket ignites

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stage one ignition has been confirmed

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that's the minute that i consider t zero

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for me soon after pegasus ignites first

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stage booster burnout and separation

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occurs stage one separation confirmed

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stage two ignition has been confirmed

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and attitude is nominal

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followed by fairing separation and

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second stage separation steering

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deployment has been confirmed after

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third stage separation the icon

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satellite is deployed into its lower

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earth orbit spacecraft separation can

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take a quick launch vehicle to thank you

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old friend for doing that and uh good

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luck icon it is a monumental moment for

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the entire icon team who banded together

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to overcome hurdle after hurdle

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powered by teamwork and unwavering

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dedication to its mission icon has

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overcome all obstacles in its path on

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the way to a successful t-zero well it's

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been quite a ride it's been an

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incredible journey to get to this point

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and require the sacrifice of a very

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large team

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we couldn't be more excited and honored

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to have launched the icon spacecraft in