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Minotaur (rocket)

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Fact sheet
Minotaur
Minotaur-1 rocket launching Mightysat-2.1 satellite
Function	Small orbital launch vehicle
Manufacturer	Orbital Sciences
Country of origin	USA
Size
Height	19.21 m (63.02 ft)
Diameter	1.67 m (5.46 ft)
Mass	36,200 kg (79,800 lb)
Stages	4
Capacity
Payload to LEO	580 kg (1,280 lbm)
Payload to SSO (700 km)	331 kg (732 lbm)
Launch History
Status	Active
Launch sites	SLC-8, Vandenberg AFB Pad-0B, Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport
Total launches	7
Successes	7
Maiden flight	27 January 2000
First Stage - M55E1
Engines	1 Solid
Thrust	935.000 kN (210,196 lb_f)
Burn time	TBC
Fuel	Solid
Second Stage - SR19AJ1
Engines	1 Solid
Thrust	268 kN (60300 lb_f)
Burn time	TBC
Fuel	Solid
Third Stage - Orion 50XL
Engines	1 Solid
Thrust	118.200 kN (26,572 lb_f)
Burn time	74 seconds
Fuel	Solid
Fourth Stage - Orion 38
Engines	1 Solid
Thrust	34.6 kN (7,778 lb_f)
Burn time	68 seconds
Fuel	Solid

The Minotaur I Rocket is an American solid fuel rocket designed to launch small satellites. It is built by Orbital Sciences Corporation and uses decommissioned Minuteman 2 solid rocket motors in its first and second stages, combined with Pegasus-based third and fourth stages. It is capable of putting up to 1280 lbm (580 kg) into LEO (100 nmi/185 km, 28.5 deg inclination).

The fourth launch of Minotaur I in September 2005 was a spectacular sunset launch, delivering a fast-growing cloud of colors, visible across the whole southern west coast of the United States. Local authorities reported being flooded with calls about the phenomenon.

The Minotaur I launch of the TacSat-2 spacecraft on 16 December 2006 was the first successful orbital-insertion space launch from Wallops Island, VA in 22 years.^[1] It was also the innaugral launch from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) launch facility.

1 Minotaur orbital flights
2 Minotaur IV
3 References
4 External links

Date (UTC)	Flight	Payload	Launch pad	Result
January 27, 2000 03:03:06	1	JAWSat (P98-1) (FalconSat1 / ASUSat1 / OCSE / OPAL)	SLC-8, Vandenberg AFB, CA	Success
July 19, 2000 20:09:00	2	MightySat II.1 (Sindri, P99-1) / MEMS 2A / MEMS 2B	SLC-8, Vandenberg AFB, CA	Success
April 11, 2005 13:35:00	3	XSS-11	SLC-8, Vandenberg AFB, CA	Success
September 23, 2005 02:24:00	4	Streak (STP-R1)	SLC-8, Vandenberg AFB, CA	Success
April 15, 2006 01:40:00	5	COSMIC (FORMOSAT-3)	SLC-8, Vandenberg AFB, CA	Success
December 16, 2006 12:00	6	TacSat-2 / GeneSat-1	Pad 0B, Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, Wallops Island, VA	Success
April 24, 2007 06:48	7	NFIRE	Pad 0B, Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, Wallops Island, VA	Success

Orbital Sciences Corporation is currently developing the much more powerful Minotaur IV for the U.S. Air Force. The Minotaur IV combines U.S Government-furnished solid rocket motors from decommissioned Peacekeeper ICBMs with technologies from other Orbital-built launch vehicles, including the Minotaur I, Pegasus, and Taurus. The first Minotaur IV is currently scheduled to launch a U.S. Air Force Space Based Space Surveillance (SBSS) satellite in December 2008.^[2]^[3]

A Minotaur V five-stage version has also been conceptualized. It would have an additional upper stage for small GTO, lunar, and interplanetary missions.