Minotaur

Minotaur is the result of the transformation of the 2 first stages of a Minuteman II rocket with the third and fourth stage derived from the Pegasus. The launcher is integrated by Orbital Science Corp. (OSC) for the USAF. The launcher is also called the OSP Space Launch Vehicle.

The first and second stages of the vehicle are the M-55A1 and SR-19 Minuteman II rocket motors respectively. The third and fourth stages are the Orion 50 XL and Orion 38 Pegasus rocket motors respectively.

Version 1 deliver 340 kg in polar orbit.

The cost of the first Minotaur launch is $23 million, future launches should only cost $13 million. It was also the first launch from the first privately-owned commercial spaceport in the United States, operated by Spaceport Systems International (SSI), a limited partnership of ITT Industries, Inc. and California Commercial Spaceport. SSI was selected to provide commercial payload processing, range and launch site services for the Orbital/Suborbital programme Space Launch Vehicle (OSPSLV) JAWSAT mission in June 1998.

Minotaur 4, introduced in 2010, is capable of launching payloads up to 1830 kg in LEO.

Minotaur 5 is a 5-stage rocket built and operated for the US Air Force. It uses 3 old Peacekeeper booster stages with commercial motors (ATK Star 48V and Star 37FM solid motors) for the 2 upper stages.

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External resources

http://www.losangeles.af.mil/SMC/PA/Fact_Sheets/minotaur_fs.htm

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Minotaur launches

#	Launch id	Payload	Launch Date	Site	Type	Status/Comment (orbit in perigee x apogee x inclination x period)
1	00004	A: Jawsat B: OCSE C: Opal D: Falconsat 1 E: Asusat 1	27 Jan 2000 at 03:03 UT	D	1	Space Test Program P98-1
2	00042	Mightysat 2	19 Jul 2000 at 20:09 UT	D	1
3	05011	XSS 11	11 Apr 2005 at 13:35 UT	D	1
4	05037	STP R1	23 Sep 2005 at 02:24 UT	D	1	300 km orbit
5	06011	B: Formosat 3A C: Formosat 3B D: Formosat 3C E: Formosat 3D F: Formosat 3E G: Formosat 3F	15 Apr 2006 at 01:30 UT	V	1	500 km orbit x 72°
6	06058	A: TacSat 2 B: GeneSat 1	16 Dec 2006 at 12:00 UT	W	1	Launch from MARS, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport.
7	07014	Nfire	24 Apr 2007 at 06:48 UT	W	1
8	09028	A: Tacsat 3 B: Pharmasat C: Hawksat 1 D: Polysat_cp6 E: Aerocube 3	19 May 2009 at 23:55 UT	W	1
9	10047	SBSS B10	26 Sep 2010 at 01:41 UT	V	4
10	10062	A: Stpsat 2 B: Rax C: O/Oreos D: Fastsat HSV01 E: Falconsat 5 F: Fastrac 1 & 2 J&K: Ballast A & B	20 Nov 2010 at 01:25 UT	K	4	Used HAPS to demonstrate dual orbit capability. Carries 4 ESPA-class satellites. 637 x 661 km x 72°
11	11006	USA 225	06 Feb 2011 at 12:26 UT	V	1
12	11029	ORS 1	30 Jun 2011 at 03:09 UT	W	1
13	11052	Tacsat 4	27 Sep 2011 at 15:49 UT	K	4+	with ATK Star 48V motor
14	13047	LADEE	7 Sep 2013 at 03:27 UT	W	5	lunar orbit
15	13064	A: STPsat 3 AA: Firefly AB: ChargerSat 1 AC: Prometheus 1-1 AD: Lunar AE: Prometheus 1-3 AF: ORS 3 B: Phonesat v2.4 C: Cape 2 D: Dragonsat 1 E: KYsat 2 F: Tjcubesat G: Orses H: ORS Tech 1 J: Sense 1 K: NPS Scat L: Prometheus 1-4 M: Prometheus 1-2 N: Sense 2 P: Prometheus 1-5 Q: Prometheus 1-6 R: Copper S: ORS Tech 2 T: Horus U: Black Knight 1 V: Prometheus 1-7 W: Trailblazer 3 X: Prometheus 1-8 Y: Swampsat Z: Ho'oponopono 2	20 Nov 2013 at 01:15 UT	W	1
16	17050	A: ORS 5 B: Prometheus 2.2 C: Prometheus 2.4 D: DHFR	26 Aug 2017 at 06:04 UT	C	4
17	20046	USA 305-308	15 Jul 2020 at 13:46 UT	W	4
18	21052	USA 316-318	15 Jun 2021 at 13:35 UT	W		NROL-111

Notes: in the launch site column D stands for the California Spaceport at Vandenberg near the SLC-6 complex, V stands for Vandenberg, W for Wallops Island, K for Kodiak Island, Alaska.

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