Minotaur IV
Function | Expendable launch system |
---|---|
Manufacturer |
|
Cost per launch | $50 million [1] |
Size | |
Height | 23.88 metres (78.3 ft) |
Diameter | 2.34 metres (7 ft 8 in) |
Mass | 86,300 kg |
Stages | 4 |
Capacity | |
Payload to LEO | |
Mass | 1735 kg (28.5°, 185 km) |
Associated rockets | |
Family | Solid |
Minotaur IV, also known as Peacekeeper SLV and OSP-2 PK is an active expendable launch system derived from the LGM-118 Peacekeeper ICBM. It is operated by Northrop Grumman Space Systems, and made its maiden flight on 22 April 2010, carrying the HTV-2a Hypersonic Test Vehicle.[2][3][4] The first orbital launch occurred on 26 September 2010 with the SBSS satellite for the United States Air Force.
The Minotaur IV vehicle consists of four stages and is capable of placing 1,735 kilograms (3,825 lb) of payload into a Low Earth orbit (LEO).[5][6] It uses the first three stages of the Peacekeeper missile, combined with a new upper stage. On the baseline version, the fourth stage is an Orion 38. However a higher performance variant, designated Minotaur IV+, uses a Star-48V instead. A three-stage configuration (no Orion 38), designated the Minotaur IV Lite, is available for suborbital trajectories. The Minotaur IV has also been flown with multiple upper stages. A five-stage derivative, the Minotaur V, made its maiden flight on 7 September 2013.
Minotaur IV launches are conducted from
Launch history
Flight No. | Date/Time (UTC) | Variant | Launch Site | Payload | Trajectory | Outcome | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 22 April 2010 23:00 |
Minotaur IV Lite | Vandenberg, SLC-8
|
HTV-2a | Suborbital | Success | Successful launch, but payload failed |
2 | 26 September 2010[7] 04:41 |
Minotaur IV | Vandenberg, SLC-8
|
SBSS
|
SSO | Success | |
3 | 20 November 2010 01:25[7] |
Minotaur IV HAPS | Kodiak, LP-1 |
RAX
NanoSail-D2 |
LEO | Success | STP-S26 launch. Included a Hydrazine Auxiliary Propulsion System (HAPS) to take the vehicle to a secondary orbit after placing payloads into the primary orbit.
|
4 | 11 August 2011 14:45[8] |
Minotaur IV Lite | Vandenberg, SLC-8
|
HTV-2b | Suborbital | Success | Successful launch, but payload failed |
5 | 27 September 2011 15:49 |
Minotaur IV+ | Kodiak, LP-1 |
TacSat-4 | LEO | Success | First Minotaur IV+ launch |
6 | 26 August 2017 06:04 |
Minotaur IV / Orion 38 | SLC-46
|
ORS-5
|
LEO[9] | Success | Ran in a 5-stage configuration, using an extra Orion 38 motor to put ORS-5 in to an equatorial orbit. |
7 | 15 July 2020 13:46[10] |
Minotaur IV / Orion 38 | MARS, LP-0B |
NROL-129 | LEO[9] | Success | Carried four payloads (USA-305 to USA-308). First NRO launch on a Minotaur IV and first from Virginia's Space Coast.[11] |
Planned launches
Date/Time (UTC) | Variant | Launch Site | Payload | Trajectory | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
April 2024[12] | Minotaur IV | Vandenberg, SLC-8 | NROL-174 | LEO | |
September 2024[13] | Minotaur IV | ? | LEO | STP-S29A mission | |
May 2025[14] | Minotaur IV | SLC-8
|
EWS-I 1 | LEO
|
USSF-261S-A mission |
TBD | Minotaur IV Lite | Vandenberg, SLC-8 | CSM | Suborbital | |
TBD | Minotaur IV | ? | ORS mission | ||
TBD | Minotaur IV | ? | ORS mission |
STP-S26
The third Minotaur IV launch, which was also known as STP-S26, deployed eight payloads. It was the 29th small launch vehicle mission in STP's 49-year history of flying DoD space experiments,
The primary objective of the STP-S26 launch was to deploy STPSAT-2 (USA-287), whilst demonstrating the ability of the Minotaur IV to carry additional payloads, by deploying
The launch marked the first flight of an STP-SIV (Standard Interface Vehicle) satellite, the first use of the Multi Mission Satellite Operations Center Ground System Architecture (MMSOC GSA), the first flight of the Minotaur IV's Multi-payload Adapter (MPA), the first use of a HAPS to obtain multiple orbits on a Minotaur IV flight, the first Minotaur launch from Kodiak Launch Complex (KLC), and the first deployment of CubeSats from a Minotaur IV via Poly-PicoSatellite Orbital Deployers (P-Pods).[15]
See also
- Comparison of orbital launchers families
- Comparison of orbital launch systems
References
- ^ Stephen Clark (18 November 2010). "Minotaur rocket poised to send research to new heights". Spaceflight Now.
- ^ "Orbital Successfully Launches First Minotaur IV Rocket for U.S. Air Force" (Press release). Orbital Sciences Corporation. 27 April 2010.
- ^ "Air Force Space Officials Prepare To Launch First Minotaur IV". Air Force News Service. 16 April 2010. Archived from the original on 29 July 2012.
- ^ Graham, William (22 April 2010). "First Minotaur IV launches with Hypersonic Test Vehicle". NASAspaceflight.com.
- ^ "Minotaur IV-V-VI User's Guide" (PDF). Northrop Grumman Corporation. 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
- ^ Krebs, Gunter. "Minotaur-3/-4/-5 (OSP-2 Peacekeeper SLV)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 4 March 2009.
- ^ a b Schaub, Michael B.; Schwartz, Patrick C. "Launches". Mission Set Database. NASA/Honeywell-TSI. Archived from the original on 20 March 2009. Retrieved 23 April 2010. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ Hope, Dan (10 August 2011). "DARPA Readies Hypersonic Aircraft for Mach 20 Launch Test". Space.com. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
- ^ a b Clark, Stephen. "Minotaur rocket selected to launch military satellite in 2017". Spaceflight Now.
- ^ Clark, Stephen. "Launch Schedule". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
- ^ "NROL-129 Launch Press Kit" (PDF). NRO. Retrieved 9 July 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ "Minotaur IV - NROL-174". Next Spaceflight. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
- ^ Erwin, Sandra (22 April 2023). "Astra wins $11.5 million contract to launch military experimental payloads". SpaceNews.com. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
- ^ "Space Systems Command Awards $45.5M Launch Service Order to Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation for Prototype EWS Mission". NASASpaceFlight. 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
- ^ a b Brinton, Turner. "Air Force's STP-S26 Mission Loaded with New Technologies". SPACENEWS. Retrieved 8 December 2016.