Trailblazer (satellite)

Trailblazer

Mission type	Technology
Operator	US Air Force MDA
Mission duration	Failed to orbit
Spacecraft properties
Bus	MMB-100
Manufacturer	SpaceDev
Start of mission
Launch date	3 August 2008, 03:34 UTC
Rocket	Falcon 1
Launch site	Omelek
Contractor	SpaceX
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth
Epoch	Planned

Trailblazer was a technology demonstration satellite, which was to have been operated by the United States Air Force and the Missile Defense Agency. It was selected for launch under a "Jumpstart" contract, to demonstrate responsiveness, with the final payload being chosen less than a month ahead of the scheduled launch date, and was launched as the primary payload of the third Falcon 1, which failed just over two minutes after launch on 3 August 2008. Two previous Falcon 1 launches also failed to reach orbit, but the fourth succeeded although it only carried a dummy payload.

It was originally built for a cancelled MDA project, and was based on a SpaceDev MMB-100 satellite bus. It was launched from Omelek Island, at 03:34 GMT. Several other payloads were to be launched aboard the same rocket, including two CubeSats for NASA, and a space burial payload for Celestis, which would have remained attached to the rocket in low Earth orbit.

References

• Gunter's Space Page - Trailblazer
• SpaceX Falcon Rocket: Third Flight the Charm?
• Trailblazer