Minotaur IV

Minotaur IV, also known as Peacekeeper SLV and OSP-2 PK, is a small rocket made from parts of an old missile called the LGM-118 Peacekeeper. This rocket is used by Northrop Grumman to send important things into space. It first flew on April 22, 2010, carrying a special test vehicle called HTV-2a. Its first trip around Earth happened on September 26, 2010, when it put a satellite called Space Based Space Surveillance into orbit for the United States Air Force.

Minotaur IV is part of a family of rockets made from old missiles. It can carry up to 1,591 kilograms into low Earth orbit. The first three parts of the rocket use motors from the old Peacekeeper missile, and the fourth part uses something called an Orion 38. There are also versions like Minotaur IV+ and Minotaur IV Lite for different kinds of missions. A bigger version called Minotaur V flew in 2013.

These rockets have taken off from places like Vandenberg Space Force Base, Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, and Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska.

Description

The Minotaur IV was created by Orbital Sciences, now part of Northrop Grumman, for the United States Air Force. There are three types: Minotaur IV, IV+, and IV Lite. Minotaur IV and IV+ are used for missions in low Earth orbit, while Minotaur IV Lite is for suborbital launches, like testing new aircraft designs. Other versions, Minotaur V and Minotaur VI, are made for different kinds of space paths.

The Minotaur IV family comes from the old LGM-118 Peacekeeper missile, which was used from 1985 to 2005. It uses parts from these old missiles for its first three stages. Because of this, Minotaur IV can only be used for missions by the U.S. government.

The standard Minotaur IV rocket has four stages. The first stage gives a lot of push for a short time, then the second stage takes over. The third stage burns longer and helps guide the rocket. The fourth stage, called Orion 38, helps put the payload into its final place in space. All these stages can steer themselves to keep the rocket on course.

For some special missions, Minotaur IV used a extra motor to put the payload into a special path around Earth. It also sometimes used a small engine system to make tiny changes after reaching space.

The Minotaur IV usually has a specific size for the payload, but there is a bigger size available that hasn’t been used yet.

The Minotaur IV+ is a stronger version of the Minotaur IV. It uses a different fourth stage motor that can carry more or go to higher paths in space. This version has been used on many other rockets too.

The Minotaur IV Lite is made for flights that don’t go all the way around Earth. It’s used to test new technologies, like fast aircraft. So far, it has only been used twice for testing.

Launch history

Planned launches

STP-S26

The third Minotaur IV launch, called STP-S26, sent eight different payloads into space. This was part of a long history of small satellite missions. The launch happened on November 20, 2010, from the Kodiak Launch Complex. The company Alaska Aerospace Corporation helped with the launch.

The main goal was to put a satellite called STPSAT-2 into orbit. The Minotaur IV also carried other small satellites like FASTSAT, FASTRAC, RAX, O/OREOS, and FalconSat-5. It used a special system to show it could reach different orbits in space. This launch was also the first time many new tools and methods were used with the Minotaur IV rocket.