Minotaur V
American expendable launch system
title: "Minotaur V" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["minotaur-(rocket-family)"] description: "American expendable launch system" topic_path: "general/minotaur-rocket-family" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minotaur_V" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary American expendable launch system ::
::data[format=table title="infobox rocket"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Minotaur V |
| image | Minotaur V carrying LADEE at MARS Pad 0B 2013-09-04.jpg |
| caption | The first Minotaur V at MARS before the launch of LADEE. |
| function | Expendable launch system |
| manufacturer | Northrop Grumman |
| cpl | $46 million (2010) |
| country-origin | United States |
| height | 24.56 m |
| diameter | 2.34 m |
| mass | 89,373 kg |
| stages | 5 |
| status | Active, no planned launches |
| sites | Wallops Island, LP-0B |
| first | 7 September 2013 |
| launches | 1 |
| success | 1 |
| location | MTO |
| kilos | 650 kg |
| location | GTO |
| mass | 532 kg |
| location | TLI |
| kilos | 342 kg |
| family | Minotaur |
| stagedata | {{Infobox Rocket/Stage |
| type | stage |
| stageno | First |
| name | SR-118 |
| thrust | 2224 kN |
| SI | 229 isp |
| burntime | 56.6 seconds |
| fuel | HTPB |
| type | stage |
| stageno | Second |
| name | SR-119 |
| thrust | 1223 kN |
| SI | 308 isp |
| burntime | 61 seconds |
| fuel | HTPB |
| type | stage |
| stageno | Third |
| name | SR-120 |
| thrust | 289 kN |
| SI | 300 isp |
| burntime | 72 seconds |
| fuel | NEPE |
| type | stage |
| stageno | Fourth |
| name | Star 48BV |
| thrust | 68.6 kN |
| SI | 288 isp |
| burntime | 84.1 seconds |
| fuel | HTPB |
| type | stage |
| stageno | Fifth |
| name | Star 37FM / Star 37FMV |
| thrust | FM: 54.8 kN |
| FMV: 55.6 kN | |
| SI | FM: 290 isp |
| FMV: 294 isp | |
| burntime | 62.7 seconds |
| fuel | HTPB |
| :: |
|name = Minotaur V |image = Minotaur V carrying LADEE at MARS Pad 0B 2013-09-04.jpg |caption = The first Minotaur V at MARS before the launch of LADEE. |function = Expendable launch system |manufacturer = Northrop Grumman |cpl = $46 million (2010) |country-origin = United States |height = 24.56 m |diameter = 2.34 m |mass = 89,373 kg |stages = 5 |status = Active, no planned launches |sites = Wallops Island, LP-0B |first = 7 September 2013 |launches = 1 |success = 1 |capacities = |location = MTO |kilos = 650 kg |location = GTO |mass = 532 kg |location = TLI |kilos = 342 kg |family = Minotaur |stagedata = {{Infobox Rocket/Stage |type = stage |stageno = First |name = SR-118 |thrust = 2224 kN |SI = 229 isp |burntime = 56.6 seconds |fuel = HTPB
|type = stage |stageno = Second |name = SR-119 |thrust = 1223 kN |SI = 308 isp |burntime = 61 seconds |fuel = HTPB
| type = stage | stageno = Third | name = SR-120 | thrust = 289 kN | SI = 300 isp | burntime = 72 seconds | fuel = NEPE |type = stage |stageno = Fourth |name = Star 48BV |thrust = 68.6 kN |SI = 288 isp |burntime = 84.1 seconds |fuel = HTPB |type = stage |stageno = Fifth |name = Star 37FM / Star 37FMV |thrust = FM: 54.8 kN FMV: 55.6 kN |SI = FM: 290 isp FMV: 294 isp |burntime = 62.7 seconds |fuel = HTPB
Minotaur V is an American expendable launch system derived from the Minotaur IV, itself a derivative of the retired LGM-118 Peacekeeper ICBM. Minotaur V was developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation (now absorbed into Northrop Grumman) and made its maiden, and to date only, flight on 7 September 2013 carrying the LADEE (Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer) spacecraft for NASA. Although Minotaur V is still offered for launch services, no further flights are scheduled as of 2026.
Design
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/LADEE_Encapsulated_in_the_Fairing_%289674482640%29.jpg" caption="Star 37FM]] fifth stage is visible as the silver cylinder directly below the spacecraft."] ::
Minotaur V is a five-stage launch vehicle designed by Orbital Sciences (now owned by Northrop Grumman) to place up to 630 kg of payload into a geosynchronous transfer orbit or 342 kg on a trans-lunar trajectory. It is derived from the Minotaur IV rocket and is essentially a Minotaur IV+ with an added fifth stage to improve performance to highly-elliptical orbits.
Minotaur V's first stage SR118 motor provides 2224 kN of thrust during its 56.6-second burn, followed immediately after by stage separation and second-stage ignition. The second stage, powered by an SR119 motor, burns for 61 seconds and provides an average thrust of 1223 kN. The third stage then burns for 72 seconds, with an average thrust of 289 kN. After third stage shutdown and separation, the vehicle coasts before igniting the Star 48BV fourth stage. The first four stages all have thrust vector control, allowing them to steer the rocket downrange by gimballing the motor nozzles. The second and third stages also feature extendable nozzles, allowing for improved performance in the upper portions of Earth's atmosphere as well as the vacuum of space.
The fifth stage consists of a Star 37 motor, which burns for 62.7 seconds and is responsible for deploying the payload into its final orbit. The FMV variant also notably features a larger nozzle than the FM, providing slightly higher thrust and specific impulse.
The first 3 stages make up the majority of the rocket's body, while the smaller fourth stage is housed in a hollow cylindrical structure referred to as the "Guidance and Control Assembly skirt" (GCA skirt). The fifth stage is housed within the payload fairing, sitting atop an adaptor to the fourth stage below it.
Minotaur V uses the same standard 92 in-diameter carbon-composite payload fairing as the other Minotaur IV variants. A larger 110 in-diameter composite fairing is also available for larger payloads. To date, no Minotaur rockets have flown with the larger fairing option.
Launch pads
Space Launch Complex 8 at the Vandenberg Space Force Base, Pad 0B at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS), and Pad 1 of the Kodiak Launch Complex are all capable of accommodating Minotaur V. As of 2026, the vehicle has only launched from MARS.
Launch history
The only Minotaur V launch occurred on 7 September 2013 at 03:27 UTC from Launch Pad 0B at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in Virginia. The payload for the maiden flight was the LADEE lunar exoatmosphere science spacecraft (SATCAT: 39246, decay date: 18 April 2014). While now separated from the LADEE spacecraft, both the fourth and fifth stages of the Minotaur V reached orbit, and became derelict satellites in Earth orbit (SATCAT: 39248, decay date: 27 November 2013).
::data[format=table]
| Flight number | Date (UTC) | Launch site | Payload | Orbit | Outcome | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 7, 2013 | ||||||
| 03:27 | MARS LP-0B | LADEE | LTO | |||
| :: |
References
References
- Brinton. (24 February 2010). "GAO Denies SpaceX Contract Protest".
- "Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) Launch". [[NASA]].
- "Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) Mission website". [[NASA]].
- "Fact Sheet". [[Orbital Sciences Corporation]].
- (10 September 2020). "Minotaur IV, V, VI User's Guide".
- Blau, Patrick. (2 July 2017). "Minotaur V Launch Vehicle".
- Krebs, Gunter. "Minotaur-3/-4/-5 (OSP-2 Peacekeeper SLV)". Gunter's Space Page.
- Clark. (7 September 2013). "Moon mission blasts off, overcomes pointing problem". Spaceflight Now.
::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. ::