Orbital Sciences [NYSE: ORB] announced it launched the National Aeronautics and Space Administration‘s (NASA’s) Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE) satellite into its targeted orbit aboard its Pegasus rocket on Saturday. The 315 kilogram (693 pound) SORCE scientific satellite was delivered into its targeted orbit approximately 640 kilometers (400 miles) above the Earth, inclined at 40 degrees to the equator.

The powered flight sequence for the SORCE mission took about 11 minutes, from the time the Pegasus rocket was released from its L-1011 carrier aircraft at 3:14 p.m. (EST) to the time that thesatellite was deployed into orbit.