Function | Small expendable launch system |
---|---|
Manufacturer | Northrop Grumman |
Country of origin | United States |
Size | |
Height | 19.21 metres (63.0 ft) |
Diameter | 1.67 metres (5 ft 6 in) |
Mass | 36,200 kilograms (79,800 lb) |
Stages | 4 or 5 |
Capacity | |
Payload to LEO | |
Mass | 580 kilograms (1,280 lb) |
Payload to SSO | |
Mass | 331 kilograms (730 lb) |
Launch history | |
Status | Active |
Launch sites | Vandenberg SLC-8 MARS LP-0B |
Total launches | 12 |
Success(es) | 12 |
First flight | 27 January 2000 |
Last flight | 15 June 2021 |
First stage –M55A1 | |
Powered by | 1 Solid |
Maximum thrust | 935 kilonewtons (210,000 lbf) |
Propellant | Solid |
Second stage –SR19 | |
Powered by | 1 Solid |
Maximum thrust | 268 kilonewtons (60,000 lbf) |
Propellant | Solid |
Third stage –Orion 50XL | |
Powered by | 1 Solid |
Maximum thrust | 118.2 kilonewtons (26,600 lbf) |
Burn time | 74 seconds |
Propellant | Solid |
Fourth stage –Orion 38 | |
Powered by | 1 Solid |
Maximum thrust | 34.8 kilonewtons (7,800 lbf) |
Burn time | 68 seconds |
Propellant | Solid |
The Minotaur I,or just Minotaur is an American expendable launch system derived from the Minuteman II missile. [1] It is used to launch small satellites for the US Government,and is a member of the Minotaur family of rockets produced by Orbital Sciences Corporation (now Northrop Grumman). [2]
The Minotaur I is the follow-on to the Orbital Sciences' Taurus (later renamed the "Minotaur-C" [3] ) launch vehicle,combining the original Taurus's booster stage with a second stage from a Minuteman missile. [4]
Minotaur I rockets consist of the M55A1 first stage and SR19 second stage of a decommissioned Minuteman missile. [1] The Orion 50XL and Orion 38,from the Pegasus rocket,are used as third and fourth stages. A HAPS (Hydrazine Auxiliary Propulsion System) upper stage can also be flown if greater precision is needed,or the rocket needs to be able to manoeuvre to deploy multiple payloads. [5] It can place up to 580 kilograms (1,280 lb) of payload into a 185-kilometer (115 mi) low Earth orbit at 28.5 degrees of inclination. [1]
The Minotaur I is 69 feet tall and 5 feet wide. [6]
Initially Minotaur I launches are conducted from Space Launch Complex 8 at the Vandenberg Air Force Base. Starting with the launch of TacSat-2 in December 2006,launches have also been conducted from Pad 0B at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island. [5]
There have been twelve launches of the Minotaur I,all successful.
Flight | Date (UTC) | Payload | Launch pad | Trajectory | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | January 27,2000 03:03:06 | JAWSat (P98-1) (FalconSat1 / ASUSat1 / OCSE / OPAL) | Vandenberg SLC-8 | LEO | Success [7] |
2 | July 19,2000 20:09:00 | MightySat II.1 (Sindri,P99-1) / MEMS 2A / MEMS 2B | Vandenberg SLC-8 | LEO | Success [8] |
3 | April 11,2005 13:35:00 | XSS-11 | Vandenberg SLC-8 | LEO | Success [9] |
4 | September 23,2005 02:24:00 | Streak (STP-R1) | Vandenberg SLC-8 | LEO | Success [10] |
5 | April 15,2006 01:40:00 | COSMIC (FORMOSAT-3) | Vandenberg SLC-8 | LEO | Success [11] |
6 | December 16,2006 12:00 | TacSat-2 / GeneSat-1 | MARS LP-0B | LEO | Success [12] |
7 | April 24,2007 06:48 | NFIRE | MARS LP-0B | LEO | Success [13] |
8 | May 19,2009 23:55 | TacSat-3 | MARS LP-0B | LEO | Success [14] |
9 | February 6,2011 12:26 | USA-225 (NROL-66) | Vandenberg SLC-8 | LEO | Success [15] |
10 | June 30,2011 03:09 | ORS-1 | MARS LP-0B | LEO | Success [16] |
11 | November 20,2013 01:15 | ORS-3, [17] STPSat-3 and 28 CubeSat satellites [18] | MARS LP-0B | LEO | Success [19] |
12 | June 15,2021 13:35 | NROL-111 | MARS LP-0B | LEO | Success [20] |
Pegasus is an air-launched multistage rocket developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC) and later built and launched by Northrop Grumman. Pegasus is the world's first privately developed orbital launch vehicle. Capable of carrying small payloads of up to 443 kg (977 lb) into low Earth orbit,Pegasus first flew in 1990 and remained active as of 2021. The vehicle consists of three solid propellant stages and an optional monopropellant fourth stage. Pegasus is released from its carrier aircraft at approximately 12,000 m (39,000 ft) using a first stage wing and a tail to provide lift and altitude control while in the atmosphere. The first stage does not have a thrust vector control (TVC) system.
Orbital Sciences Corporation was an American company specializing in the design,manufacture,and launch of small- and medium- class space and launch vehicle systems for commercial,military and other government customers. In 2014,Orbital merged with Alliant Techsystems to create a new company called Orbital ATK,Inc.,which in turn was purchased by Northrop Grumman in 2018. The remnants of the former Orbital Sciences Corporation became a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman,known as Northrop Grumman Space Systems.
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This article lists all active and upcoming orbital launch systems. For retired launch vehicles,see Comparison of retired orbital launch systems.
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