Minotaur-C

Minotaur-C (Taurus)

Taurus 3210 preparing to launch ROCSAT 2 on May 20, 2004.
Function	Orbital launch vehicle
Manufacturer	Orbital Sciences, Orbital ATK
Country of origin	United States
Size
Height	27.9 m (91.5 ft)
Diameter	2.35 m (7.7 ft)
Mass	73,000 kg (160,000 lb)
Stages	4
Capacity
Payload to LEO	1,320 kg (2,910 lb)
Launch history
Status	Active
Launch sites	Wallops Flight Facility LC-576E, Vandenberg AFB Cape Canaveral Kodiak Launch Complex
Total launches	9
Successes	6
Failures	3
First flight	13 April 1994, 22:32 UTC USA 101/USA 102
First stage - Castor 120
Engines	1 solid
Thrust	1,606.6 kN (361,177 lbf)
Specific impulse	286 sec
Burn time	83 seconds
Fuel	Solid
Second stage - Taurus-1
Engines	1 solid
Thrust	484.9 kN (109,012 lbf)
Specific impulse	285 sec
Burn time	73 seconds
Fuel	solid
Third stage - Pegasus-2
Engines	1 solid
Thrust	118.2 kN (26,570 lbf)
Specific impulse	292 sec
Burn time	73 seconds
Fuel	solid
Fourth stage - Pegasus-3
Engines	1 solid
Thrust	34.57 kN (7,770 lbf)
Specific impulse	293 sec
Burn time	65 seconds
Fuel	solid

Minotaur-C (Minotaur Commercial), formerly known as Taurus, is a four stage, solid fuel launch vehicle built in the United States by Orbital Sciences Corporation (now Orbital ATK). It is based on the air-launched Pegasus rocket from the same manufacturer. The Minotaur-C is able to carry a payload of around 1,350 kg into a low Earth orbit. First launched in 1994, it has successfully completed six out of a total of nine military and commercial missions. Three of four launches between 2001 and 2011 ended in failure, including the February 24, 2009 launch of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory mission and the March 4, 2011 launch of the Glory mission. The failure of the two latest launches resulted in losses totalling $700 million for NASA (not including cost of the rockets themselves). The rocket was subsequently rebranded as the Minotaur-C, which incorporates new avionics based on those used by the Minotaur series of rockets.

The Minotaur-C's first stage, an Orbital ATK Castor 120, is based on a Peacekeeper ICBM first stage. Stages 2 and 3 are Orion-50s (like the Pegasus-1 but without wings or stabilisers), and stage 4 is an Orion 38, derived from the Pegasus-3.

Different configurations are designated using a four digit code, similar to the numbering system used on Delta rockets. The first digit denotes the type of first stage being used, and whether the second and third stages use a standard or "XL" configuration. The second digit denotes the diameter of the payload fairing. The third digit denotes the type of fourth stage. The fourth digit denotes an optional fifth stage, so far unused.