Minotaur I
Space launch vehicle
title: "Minotaur I" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["minotaur-(rocket-family)"] description: "Space launch vehicle" topic_path: "general/minotaur-rocket-family" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minotaur_I" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Space launch vehicle ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox Rocket"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Minotaur I |
| image | NFIRE1.jpg |
| caption | Minotaur I with NFIRE at MARS |
| function | Small expendable launch system |
| manufacturer | Northrop Grumman |
| country-origin | United States |
| height | 19.21 m |
| diameter | 1.67 m |
| mass | 36200 kg |
| stages | 4 or 5 |
| location | LEO |
| kilos | 580 kg }} |
| location | SSO |
| kilos | 331 kg }} |
| status | Active |
| sites | Vandenberg SLC-8 |
| MARS LP-0B | |
| first | 27 January 2000 |
| last | 18 June 2024 |
| launches | 13 |
| success | 13 |
| type | stage |
| stageno | First |
| name | M55A1 |
| engines | 1 Solid |
| thrust | 935 kN |
| fuel | Solid |
| type | stage |
| stageno | Second |
| name | SR19 |
| engines | 1 Solid |
| thrust | 268 kN |
| fuel | Solid |
| type | stage |
| stageno | Third |
| name | Orion 50XL |
| engines | 1 Solid |
| thrust | 118.2 kN |
| burntime | 74 seconds |
| fuel | Solid |
| type | stage |
| stageno | Fourth |
| name | Orion 38 |
| engines | 1 Solid |
| thrust | 34.8 kN |
| burntime | 68 seconds |
| fuel | Solid |
| :: |
|name = Minotaur I |image = NFIRE1.jpg |caption = Minotaur I with NFIRE at MARS |function = Small expendable launch system |manufacturer = Northrop Grumman |country-origin = United States |height = 19.21 m |diameter = 1.67 m |mass = 36200 kg |stages = 4 or 5 |capacities = |location = LEO |kilos = 580 kg }} |location = SSO |kilos = 331 kg }} |status = Active |sites = Vandenberg SLC-8 MARS LP-0B |first= 27 January 2000 |last= 18 June 2024 |launches = 13 |success = 13 |stagedata = |type = stage |stageno = First |name = M55A1 |engines = 1 Solid |thrust = 935 kN |burntime = |fuel = Solid |type = stage |stageno = Second |name = SR19 |engines = 1 Solid |thrust = 268 kN |burntime = |fuel = Solid |type = stage |stageno = Third |name = Orion 50XL |engines = 1 Solid |thrust = 118.2 kN |burntime = 74 seconds |fuel = Solid |type = stage |stageno = Fourth |name = Orion 38 |engines = 1 Solid |thrust = 34.8 kN |burntime = 68 seconds |fuel = Solid The Minotaur I, or just Minotaur is an American expendable launch system derived from the Minuteman II missile.
Vehicle
The Minotaur I is the follow-on to the Orbital Sciences' Taurus (later renamed the "Minotaur-C") 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. It can place up to 580 kg of payload into a 185 km low Earth orbit at 28.5 degrees of inclination.
The Minotaur I is 69 feet tall and 5 feet wide.
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.
Launch history
There have been thirteen launches of the Minotaur I, all successful.
::data[format=table title="Minotaur I launch history"]
| 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 | ||
| 2 | July 19, 2000 | ||||
| 20:09:00 | MightySat II.1 (Sindri, P99-1) / MEMS 2A / MEMS 2B | Vandenberg SLC-8 | LEO | ||
| 3 | April 11, 2005 | ||||
| 13:35:00 | XSS-11 | [[File:Minotaur rocket launch.jpg | frameless | 150x150px]] | |
| Vandenberg SLC-8 | LEO | ||||
| 4 | September 23, 2005 | ||||
| 02:24:00 | Streak (STP-R1) | [[File:Minotaur 1 with Streak (23 Sep. 2005).jpg | frameless | 150x150px]] | |
| Vandenberg SLC-8 | LEO | ||||
| 5 | April 15, 2006 | ||||
| 01:40:00 | COSMIC (FORMOSAT-3) | Vandenberg SLC-8 | LEO | ||
| 6 | December 16, 2006 | ||||
| 12:00 | TacSat-2 / GeneSat-1 | [[File:Minotaur awaiting launch.jpg | frameless | 150x150px]] | |
| MARS LP-0B | LEO | ||||
| 7 | April 24, 2007 | ||||
| 06:48 | NFIRE | [[File:NFIRE1.jpg | frameless | 150x150px]] | |
| MARS LP-0B | LEO | ||||
| 8 | May 19, 2009 | ||||
| 23:55 | TacSat-3 | [[File:TacSat3 launch 090518-F-9999B-001 (cropped).jpg | frameless | 150x150px]] | |
| MARS LP-0B | LEO | ||||
| 9 | February 6, 2011 | ||||
| 12:26 | USA-225 (NROL-66) | [[File:Minotaur-1 NROL-66.jpg | frameless | 150x150px]] | |
| Vandenberg SLC-8 | LEO | ||||
| 10 | June 30, 2011 | ||||
| 03:09 | ORS-1 | [[File:Minotaur I with ORS-1 on MARS pad 0B (110622-F-PF707-001).jpg | frameless | 150x150px]] | |
| MARS LP-0B | LEO | ||||
| 11 | November 20, 2013 | ||||
| 01:15 | ORS-3, | ||||
| 12 | June 15, 2021 | ||||
| 13:35 | NROL-111 | MARS LP-0B | LEO | ||
| 13 | June 18, 2024 | ||||
| 07:01 | Mk21A reentry vehicle test | [[File:MINOTAUR I ROCKET LAUNCHES FROM VSFB (8505466).jpg | frameless | 100x100px]] | |
| Vandenberg TP-01 | Suborbital | ||||
| :: |
References
References
- "Minotaur Rocket".
- Clark, Stephen. (24 February 2014). "Taurus rocket on the market with new name, upgrades". Spaceflight Now.
- (2006). "Minotaur I Space Launch Vehicle".
- (2006). "Minotaur I Space Launch Vehicle—Fact Sheet". [[NASA]].
- "NASA - TacSat-2 Mission Information".
- Ray, Justin. "Spaceflight Now - Minotaur Mission Report - Mission Status Center - JAWSAT".
- Ray, Justin. "Spaceflight Now - Minotaur Mission Report - Mission Status Center - Mightysat 2.1".
- Ray, Justin. "Minotaur rocket launches U.S. military spacecraft". Spaceflight Now.
- Ray, Justin. "Rocket launch paints sky with breath-taking scene". Spaceflight Now.
- Ray, Justin. "Spaceflight Now - Minotaur Mission Report - Mission Status Center - COSMIC". Spaceflight Now.
- Clark, Stephen. "Minotaur rocket makes sunrise ascent from Virginia". Spaceflight Now.
- Ray, Justin. "Missile research spacecraft soars into orbit from Virginia". Spaceflight Now.
- Clark, Stephen. "Minotaur lofts experimental satellite for U.S. military". Spaceflight Now.
- "Orbital Successfully Launches Minotaur I Rocket for U.S. Air Force". [[Orbital Sciences Corporation]].
- "Orbital Successfully Launches Minotaur I Rocket Carrying ORS-1 Satellite for the U.S. Air Force". [[Orbital Sciences Corporation]].
- (19 November 2013). "Orbital's Minotaur I successfully lofts multitude of payloads". [[NASASpaceFlight.com]].
- "Orbital Successfully Launches Minotaur I Rocket Supporting ORS-3 Mission for the U.S. Air Force". [[Wall Street Journal]].
- (15 June 2021). "Northrop Grumman Successfully Launches Minotaur I Rocket for the National Reconnaissance Office". [[Northrop Grumman]].
- Hadley, Greg. (2024-06-18). "Air Force, Lockheed Test New Reentry Vehicle for Sentinel ICBM".
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::