Minotaur II

Minotaur II rockets consist of the M55A1 first stage and SR19AJ1 second stage of a decommissioned Minuteman missile. The third stage varies depending on the configuration required for the payload. A Minuteman II M57A1 stage is used on the baseline configuration, whilst the Minotaur II+ uses an SR-73-AJ. The Minotaur II Lite is a two-stage configuration, without a third stage. A heavy configuration is also available, with an Orion 50XL third stage, as used on the Minotaur I. The baseline configuration can propel a 400 kilograms (880 lb) payload into a 4,000 kilometres (2,500 mi) downrange, whilst the heavy configuration can place 1,400 kilograms (3,100 lb) onto a 8,000-kilometre (5,000 mi) trajectory.

Minotaur II
Minotaur II launch from Vandenberg
FunctionSuborbital launch system
ManufacturerOrbital Sciences
Country of origin United States
Size
Height19.21 metres (63.0 ft)
Diameter1.67 metres (5 ft 6 in)
Mass36,200 kilograms (79,800 lb)
Stages2 or 3
Capacity
Payload to 8000km S/O
Mass400 kilograms (880 lb)
Launch history
StatusActive
Launch sitesVandenberg LF-06
Total launches8
Success(es)8
First flight28 May 2000
Last flight24 September 2008
First stage – M55E1
Engines1 Solid
Thrust935 kilonewtons (210,000 lbf)
FuelSolid
Second stage – SR19AJ1
Engines1 Solid
Thrust268 kilonewtons (60,000 lbf)
FuelSolid
Third stage (Baseline) – M57A1
Engines1 Solid
FuelSolid
Third stage (Minotaur II+) – SR-73-AJ
Engines1 Solid
FuelSolid
Third stage (Heavy) – Orion 50XL
Engines1 Solid
Thrust118.2 kilonewtons (26,600 lbf)
Burn time74 seconds
FuelSolid

Eight Minotaur II have been launched as of May 2009, with six flights using the baseline configuration and two using the Minotaur II+ configuration. Launches are conducted from Launch Facility 06.

Launch history

Flight No. Date (UTC)RocketPayloadLaunch padTrajectoryResult
1 May 28, 2000

20:00

Minotaur IIOSP-TLV Missile Defense Technology DemonstratorVandenberg LF-06SuborbitalSuccess
2 December 12, 2001 Minotaur II IFT-7 target mission Vandenberg LF-06 Suborbital Success
3 March 16, 2002

02:11

Minotaur IITLV-1 IFT-8 GMDS target missionVandenberg LF-06SuborbitalSuccess
4 October 15, 2002

02:01

Minotaur IITLV-3 GMDS target missionVandenberg LF-06SuborbitalSuccess
5 December 11, 2002

08:26

Minotaur IITLV-4 GMDS target missionVandenberg LF-06SuborbitalSuccess
6 March 20, 2007

04:27

Minotaur IITLV-5 FTX-02 SBR target missionVandenberg LF-06SuborbitalSuccess
7 August 23, 2007

08:30

Minotaur II+TLV-7 Mission 2a sensor target for NFIRE satelliteVandenberg LF-06SuborbitalSuccess
8 September 24, 2008

06:57

Minotaur II+TLV-8 Mission 2b sensor target for NFIRE satelliteVandenberg LF-06SuborbitalSuccess

References

  • "Fact Sheet" (PDF). Minotaur II. Orbital Sciences Corporation. Retrieved 2009-04-30.
  • Wade, Mark. "Minotaur". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 2009-05-08. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
  • Krebs, Gunter. "Minotaur-2 (OSP-SLV)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2009-04-30.
  • Krebs, Gunter. "Minuteman Target Launch Vehicles". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2009-04-28.


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