Minotaur-C
Four stage, solid fuel launch vehicle / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Minotaur-C (Minotaur Commercial), formerly known as Taurus[1] or Taurus XL, is a four stage solid fueled launch vehicle built in the United States by Orbital Sciences (now Northrop Grumman) and launched from SLC-576E at California's Vandenberg Air Force Base. It is based on the air-launched Pegasus rocket from the same manufacturer, utilizing a "zeroth stage" in place of an airplane. The Minotaur-C is able to carry a maximum payload of around 1458 kg into a low Earth orbit (LEO).[2]
![]() Minotaur-C launching its return-to-flight in 2017 | |
Function | Orbital launch vehicle |
---|---|
Manufacturer | Orbital Sciences, Orbital ATK, Northrop Grumman |
Country of origin | United States |
Cost per launch | US$40−50 million |
Size | |
Height | 27.9 m (92 ft)[citation needed] |
Diameter | 2.35 m (7 ft 9 in)[citation needed] |
Mass | 73,000 kg (161,000 lb)[citation needed] |
Stages | 4 |
Capacity | |
Payload to LEO | |
Mass | 1,458 kg (3,214 lb) |
Payload to SSO | |
Mass | 1,054 kg (2,324 lb) |
Launch history | |
Status | Active |
Launch sites | Vandenberg, SLC-576E |
Total launches | 10 |
Success(es) | 7 |
Failure(s) | 3 |
First flight | 13 March 1994, 22:32 UTC USA 101 / USA 102 |
Last flight | 31 October 2017, 21:37 UTC |
First stage – Castor 120 | |
Powered by | 1 Solid |
Maximum thrust | 1,606.6 kN (361,200 lbf) |
Specific impulse | 286 s (2.80 km/s) |
Burn time | 83 seconds |
Propellant | Solid |
Second stage – Taurus-1 | |
Powered by | 1 Solid |
Maximum thrust | 484.9 kN (109,000 lbf) |
Specific impulse | 285 s (2.79 km/s) |
Burn time | 73 seconds |
Propellant | Solid |
Third stage – Pegasus-2 | |
Powered by | 1 Solid |
Maximum thrust | 118.2 kN (26,600 lbf) |
Specific impulse | 292 s (2.86 km/s) |
Burn time | 73 seconds |
Propellant | Solid |
Fourth stage – Pegasus-3 | |
Powered by | 1 Solid |
Maximum thrust | 34.57 kN (7,770 lbf) |
Specific impulse | 293 s (2.87 km/s) |
Burn time | 65 seconds |
Propellant | Solid |
First launched in 1994, it has successfully completed seven out of a total of ten military and commercial missions.[3] Three of four launches between 2001 and 2011 ended in failure, including the 24 February 2009 launch of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory mission[4] and the 4 March 2011 launch of the Glory mission,[5] which resulted in losses totalling US$700 million for NASA (excluding the cost of the rockets themselves).[6][7] The Taurus launch vehicle was subsequently rebranded in 2014 as Minotaur-C,[8] which incorporates new avionics based on those used by the Minotaur family of rockets.[1][3] After a six years pause, the rocket successfully returned to flight in 2017 as Minotaur-C.