Rocket: Pegasus XL; Payload: eight CYGNSS satellites; Date: 15 December 2016, 1337 UTC; Launch site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, USA. For the first phase of the launch, CYGNSS and the Pegasus rocket were carried into the atmosphere beneath Orbital ATK’s "Stargazer" L-1011 carrier aircraft. They were released from the plane at approximately 11.7 km, and then the Pegasus motors ignited, carrying CYGNSS to its intended 35 degree orbit.