Minotaur IV
Launch of the first Minotaur IV Lite
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| Function | Expendable launch system |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Orbital Sciences |
| Cost per launch | $50 million |
| Size | |
| Height | 23.88 meters (78.3 ft) |
| Diameter | 2.34 meters (7 ft 8 in) |
| Mass | 86,300 kg |
| Stages | 4 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to LEO | 1735 kg (28.5 deg, 185 km) |
| Associated rockets | |
| Family | Minotaur |
| Derivatives | Minotaur V |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Active |
| Launch sites |
SLC-8, Vandenberg AFB LP-0B, MARS LP-1, Kodiak SLC-46, Cape Canaveral |
| Total launches | 5 |
| Successes | 5 |
| First flight | 22 April 2010 |
| First stage - SR-118 | |
| Engines | 1 Solid |
| Thrust | 2,200 kN (490,000 lbf) |
| Fuel | Solid |
| Second stage - SR-119 | |
| Engines | 1 Solid |
| Thrust | 1,365 kN (307,000 lbf) |
| Burn time | 54 seconds |
| Fuel | Solid |
| Third stage - SR-120 | |
| Engines | 1 Solid |
| Thrust | 329 kN (74,000 lbf) |
| Burn time | 62 seconds |
| Fuel | Solid |
| Fourth stage (Baseline) - Orion 38 | |
| Engines | 1 Solid |
| Thrust | 32.2 kN (7,200 lbf) |
| Burn time | 67.7 seconds |
| Fuel | Solid |
| Fourth stage (Optional) - Star-48V | |
| Engines | 1 Solid |
| Thrust | 68.6 kN (15,400 lbf) |
| Burn time | 84.1 seconds |
| Fuel | Solid |
Minotaur IV, also known as Peacekeeper SLV and OSP-2 PK is an active expendable launch system derived from the LGM-118 Peacekeeper ICBM. It is operated by Orbital Sciences Corporation, and made its maiden flight on 22 April 2010, carrying the HTV-2a Hypersonic Test Vehicle. The first orbital launch occurred on 26 September 2010 with the SBSS satellite for the United States Air Force.
The Minotaur IV vehicle consists of four stages and is 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, made its maiden flight on 7 Sep 2013.
Minotaur IV launches will be conducted from SLC-8 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, LP-0B at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, SLC-46 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Kodiak Launch Complex Pad 1 of the Kodiak Launch Complex.
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