Launch Photos: Minotaur 1 Rocket Lights Up Night Sky

ELaNa IV CubeSats Institutions Map

NASA

More than 300 students took part in the fourth installment of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative and it’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellite (ELaNa) Missions, which enables students, teachers and faculty to obtain hands-on flight hardware development experience. The 11 ELaNa IV cubesats are scheduled to launch aboard the Orbital Sciences Corporation’s Minotaur-1 rocket on Nov. 19, 2013. [Read the Full Story of the Successful Night Launch Here]

University of Kentucky Students Work on KYSat-2 CubeSat

University of Kentucky

University of Kentucky students Alex Clements and Jason Rexroat conduct final CubeSat acceptance measurements on KYSat-2, a collaborative project between the University of Kentucky and Morehead State University. [Read the Full Story of the Successful Night Launch Here]

UNM's Trailblazer CubeSat

University of New Mexico

University of New Mexico Students inspect their CubeSat, Trailblazer. [Read the Full Story of the Successful Night Launch Here]

TJCubeSat (TJ³Sat) Close View

Orbital Sciences Corp.

The TJ³Sat is a small-size CubeSat developed, built and tested by students from the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia. It will be launched as part of Orbital Sciences' ORS-3 mission on Nov. 19, 2013, from Wallops Island, VA. [Read the Full Story of the Successful Night Launch Here]

Working on TJCubeSat (TJ³Sat)

Orbital Sciences Corp.

Work proceeds on the TJCubeSat (TJ³Sat) developed by students from the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia. It will be launched as part of Orbital Sciences' ORS-3 mission on Nov. 19, 2013, from Wallops Island, VA. [Read the Full Story of the Successful Night Launch Here]

Teamwork Goes Into the TJCubeSat

Orbital Sciences Corp.

Teamwork is represented in this photo of hands working on the TJCubeSat. The TJ³Sat (TJCubeSat) is a small-size CubeSat developed, built and tested by students from the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia. It will be launched as part of Orbital Sciences' ORS-3 mission on Nov. 19, 2013, from Wallops Island, VA. [Read the Full Story of the Successful Night Launch Here]

Minotaur I Vehicle Configuration Overview

Orbital Sciences Corp.

This exploded view shows the components of Orbital Sciences' Minotaur I Vehicle. [Read the Full Story of the Successful Night Launch Here]

Minotaur 1 on the Launch Pad #3

Orbital Sciences Corp.

An Orbital Sciences Minotaur 1 rocket will launch from Wallops Island, Va., on Nov. 19, containing satellites for the U.S. Department of Defense, NASA and other agencies. [Read the Full Story of the Successful Night Launch Here]

Minotaur 1 on the Launch Pad #2

Orbital Sciences Corp.

An Orbital Sciences Minotaur 1 rocket will launch from Wallops Island, Va., on Nov. 19, containing satellites for the U.S. Department of Defense, NASA and other agencies. [Read the Full Story of the Successful Night Launch Here]

Minotaur 1 on the Launch Pad #1

Griffin Communications Group

An Orbital Sciences Minotaur 1 rocket will launch from Wallops Island, Va., on Nov. 19, containing satellites for the U.S. Department of Defense, NASA and other agencies. [Read the Full Story of the Successful Night Launch Here]

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.

Space.com Staff
News and editorial team

Space.com is the premier source of space exploration, innovation and astronomy news, chronicling (and celebrating) humanity's ongoing expansion across the final frontier. Originally founded in 1999, Space.com is, and always has been, the passion of writers and editors who are space fans and also trained journalists. Our current news team consists of Editor-in-Chief Tariq Malik; Editor Hanneke Weitering, Senior Space Writer Mike Wall; Senior Writer Meghan Bartels; Senior Writer Chelsea Gohd, Senior Writer Tereza Pultarova and Staff Writer Alexander Cox, focusing on e-commerce. Senior Producer Steve Spaleta oversees our space videos, with Diana Whitcroft as our Social Media Editor.