Welcome to the SCALE (Orbital Sciences Corp.) Pegasus Gallery on TRF.
This gallery showcases the (Orbital Sciences Corp.) Pegasus launch vehicle and those rockets derived from it. Particularly appropriate in this thread are the following:
John Leslie: 1/48 Pegasus:
as well as any upscales, downscales, clones, kitbashes or other derivative works. Even Goonies qualify!
The Pegasus rocket is a winged space launch vehicle capable of carrying small, unmanned payloads (443 kilograms (980 lb)) into low Earth orbit. It is air-launched, as part of an expendable launch system developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation (Orbital). Three main stages burning solid propellant provide the thrust. It flies as a rocket-powered aircraft before leaving the atmosphere.
The Pegasus is carried aloft below a carrier aircraft and launched at approximately 40,000 ft (12,000 m). The carrier aircraft provides flexibility to launch the rocket from anywhere rather than just a fixed pad. A high-altitude, winged flight launch also allows the rocket to avoid flight in the densest part of the atmosphere where a larger launch vehicle, carrying more fuel, would be needed to overcome air friction and gravity.