Minotaur I


The Minotaur I, or just Minotaur is an American expendable launch system derived from the Minuteman II missile. 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.

Vehicle

The Minotaur I was the follow-on to the Orbital Sciences' Taurus launch vehicle, combining the original Taurus's booster stage with a second stage from a Minuteman missile.
Minotaur I rockets consist of the M55A1 first stage and SR19 second stage of a decommissioned Minuteman missile.
The Orion 50XL and Orion 38, from the Pegasus rocket, are used as third and fourth stages. A HAPS upper stage can also be flown if greater precision is needed, or the rocket needs to be able to manoeuvre to deploy multiple payloads.
It can place up to of payload into a low Earth orbit at 28.5 degrees of inclination.
Initially Minotaur I launches were 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.

Launch history

There have been eleven launches of the Minotaur I, all successful.