Minotaur IV
Function | Expendable launch system |
---|---|
Manufacturer | Orbital Sciences |
Country of origin | United States |
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 deg, 185 km) |
Associated rockets | |
Family | Minotaur |
Derivative work | Minotaur V |
Launch history | |
Status | Development |
Launch sites | SLC-8, Vandenberg AFB LP-0B, MARS LP-1, Kodiak |
Total launches | 0 |
First flight | April 2010 (planned) |
First stage – SR-118 | |
Powered by | 1 Solid |
Maximum thrust | 2,200 kilonewtons (490,000 lbf) |
Propellant | Solid |
Second stage – SR-119 | |
Powered by | 1 Solid |
Maximum thrust | 1,365 kilonewtons (307,000 lbf) |
Burn time | 54 seconds |
Propellant | Solid |
Third stage – SR-120 | |
Powered by | 1 Solid |
Maximum thrust | 329 kilonewtons (74,000 lbf) |
Burn time | 62 seconds |
Propellant | Solid |
Fourth stage (Baseline) – Orion-38 | |
Powered by | 1 Solid |
Maximum thrust | 32.2 kilonewtons (7,200 lbf) |
Burn time | 67.7 seconds |
Propellant | Solid |
Fourth stage (Optional) – Star-48V | |
Powered by | 1 Solid |
Maximum thrust | 68.6 kilonewtons (15,400 lbf) |
Burn time | 84.1 seconds |
Propellant | Solid |
The Minotaur IV, also known as Peacekeeper SLV and OSP-2 PK is an American expendable launch system derived from the Peacekeeper missile. It is being developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation, and was scheduled to make its maiden flight in October 2009, with the SBSS satellite for the United States Air Force. Currently its maiden flight is scheduled to be a suborbital launch of a Hypersonic Test Vehicle HTV-2, scheduled for April 2010.
The Minotaur IV is a four stage vehicle, capable of placing 1,735 kilograms (3,825 lb) of payload into a Low Earth orbit (LEO). 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. A five stage derivative, the Minotaur V, is also under development.
Minotaur IV launches will be conducted from SLC-8 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, LP-0B at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, and Pad 1 of the Kodiak Launch Complex.
Launches
Date/Time (UTC) | Variant | Launch Site | Payload | Trajectory | Outcome | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2nd Q 2010 | Minotaur IV Lite | Vandenberg SLC-8 | HTV-2a | Suborbital | Hypersonic Test Vehicle | |
3rd Q 2010 | Minotaur IV | Vandenberg SLC-8 | SBSS | LEO | ||
3rd Q 2010 | Minotaur IV | Kodiak LP-1 | STP S26 FASTRAC-A FASTRAC-B FalconSat-5 FASTSAT O/OREOS RAX |
LEO | Includes a Hydrazine Auxiliary Propulsion System (HAPS) to take the vehicle to a secondary orbit | |
4rd Q 2010 | Minotaur IV+ | Kodiak LP-1 | TacSat-4 | LEO | First Minotaur IV+ launch | |
1st Q 2011 | Minotaur IV Lite | Vandenberg SLC-8 | HTV-2b | Suborbital | ||
4th Q 2011 | Minotaur IV Lite | Vandenberg SLC-8 | CSM | Suborbital | ||
3rd Q 2012 | Minotaur IV | Vandenberg SLC-8 | TacSat-5 | LEO | Might launch on a Minotaur I |
References
- Krebs, Gunter. "Minotaur-3/-4/-5 (OSP-2 Peacekeeper SLV)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
- "Fact Sheet" (PDF). Minotaur IV. Orbital Sciences Corporation. Retrieved 2009-03-04.