Minotaur II

Minotaur II
	Minotaur II launch from Vandenberg
Has use	Suborbital launch system
Manufacturer	Orbital Sciences
Country of origin	United States
Size
Height	19.21 metres (63.0 ft)
Diameter	1.67 metres (5 ft 6 in)
Mass	36,200 kilograms (79,800 lb)
Stages	2 or 3
Capacity
Payload to 8000km S/O
Mass	400 kilograms (880 lb)
Launch history
Status	Active
Launch sites	Vandenberg LF-06
Total launches	8
Success(es)	8
First flight	28 May 2000
Last flight	24 September 2008
First stage – M55E1
Powered by	1 Solid
Maximum thrust	935 kilonewtons (210,000 lbf)
Propellant	Solid
Second stage –
Powered by	1 Solid
Maximum thrust	268 kilonewtons (60,000 lbf)
Propellant	Solid
Third stage (Baseline) –
Powered by	1 Solid
Propellant	Solid
Third stage (Minotaur II+) –
Powered by	1 Solid
Propellant	Solid
Third stage (Heavy) –
Powered by	1 Solid
Maximum thrust	118.2 kilonewtons (26,600 lbf)
Burn time	74 seconds
Propellant	Solid

Minotaur II rockets consist of the first stage and second stage of a decommissioned Minuteman missile. The third stage varies depending on the configuration required for the payload. A Minuteman II stage is used on the baseline configuration, whilst the Minotaur II+ uses an . The Minotaur II Lite is a two-stage configuration, without a third stage. A heavy configuration is also available, with an 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.

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)	Rocket	Payload	Launch pad	Trajectory	Result
1	May 28, 2000 20:00	Minotaur II	OSP-TLV Missile Defense Technology Demonstrator	Vandenberg LF-06	Suborbital	Success
2	December 12, 2001	Minotaur II	IFT-7 target mission	Vandenberg LF-06	Suborbital	Success
3	March 16, 2002 02:11	Minotaur II	TLV-1 IFT-8 GMDS target mission	Vandenberg LF-06	Suborbital	Success
4	October 15, 2002 02:01	Minotaur II	TLV-3 GMDS target mission	Vandenberg LF-06	Suborbital	Success
5	December 11, 2002 08:26	Minotaur II	TLV-4 GMDS target mission	Vandenberg LF-06	Suborbital	Success
6	March 20, 2007 04:27	Minotaur II	TLV-5 FTX-02 SBR target mission	Vandenberg LF-06	Suborbital	Success
7	August 23, 2007 08:30	Minotaur II+	TLV-7 Mission 2a sensor target for NFIRE satellite	Vandenberg LF-06	Suborbital	Success
8	September 24, 2008 06:57	Minotaur II+	TLV-8 Mission 2b sensor target for NFIRE satellite	Vandenberg LF-06	Suborbital	Success

References[]

Krebs, Gunter. "Minotaur-2 (OSP-SLV)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2009-04-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
Krebs, Gunter. "Minuteman Target Launch Vehicles". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2009-04-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

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