The HETE-1 satellite was launched on November 4, 1996, along with the Argentine satellite SAC-B, on a Pegasus rocket from Wallops Island, VA. The Pegasus rocket achieved a good orbit, but the third stage failed to release the two satellites. As a result, SAC-B and HETE-1 were unable to function as designed and both died due to power failure within days of launch. Due to the tragic fate of HETE-1 and the continuing timeliness of gamma ray burst science, NASA agreed to a re-flight of the HETE-1 satellite, using flight spare hardware from the first satellite. HETE-2 was launched on October 9, 2000 aboard a Pegasus launch vehicle from the Kwajalein Missile Range in the Marshall Islands.