CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. It was one of those bold ideas that began life as a drawing on a piece of yellow-ruled scratch paper.

Now, Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Virginia is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the result of that drawing: the first successful launch of its winged Pegasus rocket on April 5, 1990.

"The Pegasus program has played an enormous role in our companys development," said Orbital Sciences chairman and CEO, David Thompson. "I want to thank all of the people at Orbital and our suppliers who worked on the Pegasus program over the years for making it such a huge technical and business success."

Pegasus being assembled

At a time when other contractors were using government money to help adapt their existing launchers for commercial use, Orbital Sciences used private money to design, build and fly the Pegasus launch vehicle, ensuring its place in space history.

"We were trying to crack the nut of conducting small launches without losing our shirts," recalled Antonio Elias, the engineer who came up with the original idea for Pegasus and eventually convinced Thompson and investors the idea would work.

"At the time of the first launch it was so exciting and the adrenaline was flowing so fast and hard, we were all giddy," Elias said.

Elias -- now a senior vice president with Orbital Sciences and responsible for the advanced programs that will lead to the next generation of launch vehicles for placing smaller satellites, and possibly tourists, into space -- is no less excited about what is still ahead.

"Orbital Sciences has a great opportunity to help continue whatever this nation chooses to do in space transportation," Elias said. "The best is yet to come."

Satellite payload being integrated into Pegasus

During the past decade Pegasus has logged 25 successes in 28 flights, with 14 straight successes during the previous three years. Twelve missions are planned, carrying 27 payloads during the next two years. The next flight is targeted for late May.

"Since our first Pegasus contract in 1988, Orbital has received orders totaling over $1 billion for more than 50 Pegasus rockets from 12 customers in the United States and overseas," Thompson said.

Pegasus carries small satellites weighing up to 1,000 pounds (455 kilograms) into low Earth orbit. The winged rocket is launched from the belly of a carrier jet flying 40,000 feet (12,190 meters) high. After dropping five seconds, the rockets first stage is ignited and Pegasus heads toward orbit.

Initially, the rocket leased the services of NASAs historic B 52 bomber and was dropped from the airplanes right wing. Within a couple of years, Orbital Sciences had purchased its own Lockheed L 1011 jet, modified it to carry the Pegasus and dubbed it "Stargazer."

As an air-launched rocket, Pegasus requires no launch pad and consequently can stage its operation from any qualified airfield in the world. Pegasus has been launched over the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans after departing from airfields in California, Virginia and Florida. One mission has even been staged from Brazil.

In addition to the Pegasus rocket, Orbital Sciences has developed the Taurus and Minotaur rockets, both based in Pegasus components. Corporate mergers and acquisitions have also given the company an active role in launching smaller suborbital rockets around the world, as well as in satellite operations.

Thanks in large part to Pegasus, the company now employs more than 5,200 people around the world and in 1999 earned nearly $900 million in revenue.