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Pegasus Standard

Pegasus Standard was the original three-stage, winged solid-propellant configuration, released from NASA’s B-52 carrier aircraft. Four Standard vehicles flew from the 1990 maiden mission through 1994.

Pegasus Standard
NASA Kennedy Space Center · NASA/KSC asset; NASA’s KSC-07PD-0975 catalog identifies Kennedy Space Center (KSC), credits the photograph to NASA, and describes the exact mated Pegasus XL/AIM vehicle. NASA’s current Images and Media Usage Guidelines generally permit factual or informational/editorial use with NASA attribution and without implying NASA endorsement. This image visibly includes NASA insignia and Orbital, ATK, AIM, CLASP, and U.S. marks; those logos, trademarks, and any third-party rights are separately restricted or clearance-sensitive. This credit does not grant trademark or third-party rights; verify any commercial, promotional, merchandise, or other protected-rights use. · Source
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Identity

Family Name
Pegasus
Full Name
Pegasus Standard
Status
retired
Type
rocket
Variant Name
Standard

Details

Description
Pegasus Standard was the original three-stage, winged solid-propellant configuration, released from NASA’s B-52 carrier aircraft. Four Standard vehicles flew from the 1990 maiden mission through 1994.
First Flight Year
1,990
Last Flight Year
1,994
Manufacturer
Operator
Parent Vehicle Family
Propulsion Configurations
  • Entries
    • Count
      1
      Placement
      core
      Propulsion System
      Role
      main
      Stage
      first stage
      Variant Notes
      Orion 50S first-stage motor on the original winged, air-launched Pegasus Standard vehicle; do not substitute Orion 50S XL from Pegasus XL.
    • Count
      1
      Placement
      upper
      Propulsion System
      Role
      upper-stage
      Stage
      second stage
      Variant Notes
      Orion 50 second-stage motor; do not substitute Orion 50XL/50XLT from Pegasus XL or Taurus branches.
    • Count
      1
      Placement
      upper
      Propulsion System
      Role
      upper-stage
      Stage
      third stage
      Variant Notes
      Orion 38 third-stage motor; exact canonical system reused from the separately modeled Pegasus XL/Minotaur-C usage.
    Name
    Pegasus Standard exact three-stage configuration
    Notes
    NASA's 1998 launch-vehicle table identifies Pegasus Standard stages as Orion 50S, Orion 50, and Orion 38. Northrop Grumman's Orion Motor Series independently identifies Orion 50S as a Pegasus first-stage motor, Orion 50 as a Pegasus second-stage motor, and Orion 38 as a Pegasus third-stage motor. This child is the original Pegasus Standard branch only; the Pegasus Standard Series parent, Standard with HAPS, Hybrid, XL, and XL with HAPS remain separate families.
Rocket Specs
Reusability
expendable
Stages Count
3

Links

Official Url
https://www.northropgrumman.com/wp-content/uploads/Pegasus-User-Guide-1.pdf

Assets & Meta

Creation Time
July 17, 2026 at 03:02:32 UTC
Updated Time
August 1, 2026 at 17:15:32 UTC
Image
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