Minotaur (rocket family)
Minotaur is a U.S. missile family, whose various versions can be used both as launchers as well as for suborbital launches in the context of missile defense tests. The Minotaur is produced by the company Orbital Sciences. The first launch took place on 26 January 2000. The missile can be launched from the Cape Canaveral AFS in Florida, Vandenberg AFB in California, from the Kodiak Launch Complex in Alaska and Wallops Flight Facility on the Virginia.
As the Minotaur rockets are based on the scaled down intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM ), which are owned by the U.S. government, they can not be commercially marketed and available only for the U.S. military and NASA.
Versions based on the Minuteman missile
The Minotaur I is a four-stage rocket - all stages use solid propellants. The first and second stage of the Minotaur are based on the first two stages of the Minuteman II intercontinental ballistic missiles ( ICBM), which are to be taken as part of the START I Treaty disarmament of the service and now fired as launchers. The third and fourth stages respectively corresponding to the second and third stages of the Pegasus XL rocket. The payload fairing and the flight control is also done by the Pegasus XL. In its payload capacity, the Minotaur is 575 kg for a 200 km high orbit about the Pegasus XL. The Minotaur I was originally formed as OSP SLV ( Orbital Suborbital Program - Satellite Launch Vehicle ) refers.
The Minotaur II is a slightly modified Minuteman II missile, which is used for suborbital tests of the missile defense system NMD. It is also known as OSP- TLV ( Orbital Suborbital Program - Target Launch Vehicle ) is known.
Versions based on the Peacekeeper missile
A modified Peacekeeper ICBM, which is also scheduled for suborbital tests of the missile defense system will bear the name Minotaur III. The Peacekeeper is taken out of service as part of the START II disarmament treaty. This version has not yet been used.
Under the name Minotaur IV is based on the Peacekeeper ICBM an even stronger launcher emerged as the Minotaur I. Minotaur IV is also four stages, it uses the first three stages of the Peacekeeper and the fourth stage, the third stage of the Pegasus XL. The payload fairing is taken from the Taurus rocket. The payload capacity of the Minotaur IV is 1750 kg into a 200 km high orbit.
In October 2009, the scheduled first start of the Minotaur IV has been moved to the SBSS satellite in September 2010. The reason unspecified problems with the third stage were specified, which concern the whole Minotaur IV fleet. The first launch has now been carried out with a suborbital flight for April 21, 2010 by Vandenberg from, but only in a three-stage variant called Minotaur IV Lite. The first launch into orbit on 26 September 2010.
A variant with the name Minotaur V with an additional upper stage for higher orbits launched on September 7, 2013, ladee Moon Orbiter NASA into a highly elliptical Earth orbit, from which the probe manöviert with the help of their own engines in several orbits of the gravity field of the moon.
Start list
This is a complete start list of the Minotaur rocket. State of the list: November 20, 2013
First Minotaur V launch
¹ Gross Weight = ( Satellite Adapter, enclosure etc. )
² NOT necessarily the target orbit of the payload - but the path to the payload of the advanced level should be suspended.
Planned start
State of the list: November 20, 2013
¹ Gross Weight = ( Satellite Adapter, enclosure etc. )
² NOT necessarily the target orbit of the payload - but the path to the payload of the advanced level should be suspended.