Minotaur IV

Minotaur IV

Launch of the first Minotaur IV Lite
Function	Expendable launch system
Manufacturer	Northrop Grumman Boeing Lockheed Martin Denver Aerospace
Cost per launch	$50 million [1]
Size
Height	23.88 metres (78.3 ft)
Diameter	2.34 metres (7 ft 8 in)
Mass	86,300 kg
Stages	4
Capacity
Payload to 200 km 28.5° LEO
Mass	IV: 1,591 kg (3,508 lb) IV+: 1,837 kg (4,050 lb)[2]
Payload to 6600km S/O
Mass	IV Lite: 3,000 kilograms (6,600 lb)[2]
Associated rockets
Family	Minotaur
Derivative work	Minotaur V
Launch history
Status	Active
Launch sites	Vandenberg SFB, SLC-8 MARS, LP-0B PSCA, LP-1 CCSFS, SLC-46
Total launches	7
Success(es)	7
First flight	22 April 2010
Last flight	15 July 2020
First stage – SR-118
Powered by	1 Solid
Maximum thrust	2,224 kilonewtons (500,000 lbf)[2]
Specific impulse	229 s (2.25 km/s) (sea level)[3]
Burn time	56.6 seconds
Propellant	HTPB
Second stage – SR-119
Powered by	1 Solid
Maximum thrust	1,223 kilonewtons (275,000 lbf)[2]
Specific impulse	308 s (3.02 km/s)[3]
Burn time	61 seconds
Propellant	HTPB
Third stage – SR-120
Powered by	1 Solid
Maximum thrust	289 kilonewtons (65,000 lbf)[2]
Specific impulse	300 s (2.9 km/s)[3]
Burn time	72 seconds
Propellant	NEPE
Fourth stage (Minotaur IV) – Orion 38
Powered by	1 Solid
Maximum thrust	32.2 kilonewtons (7,200 lbf)
Specific impulse	288 s (2.82 km/s)
Burn time	67.7 seconds
Propellant	HTPB
Fourth stage (Minotaur IV+) – Star 48BV
Powered by	1 Solid
Maximum thrust	68.6 kilonewtons (15,400 lbf) (average)
Specific impulse	288 s (2.82 km/s)
Burn time	84.1 seconds
Propellant	HTPB
[edit on Wikidata]

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 Northrop Grumman Space Systems, and made its maiden flight on 22 April 2010, carrying the HTV-2a Hypersonic Test Vehicle.^[4][5][6] 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 1,591 kilograms (3,508 lb) of payload into a low Earth orbit (LEO).^[2][7] 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 48BV instead. A three-stage configuration (no Orion 38), designated the Minotaur IV Lite, is available for suborbital trajectories. The Minotaur IV has also been flown with multiple upper stages. A five-stage derivative, the Minotaur V, made its maiden flight on 7 September 2013.

Minotaur IV launches are conducted from SLC-8 at Vandenberg Space Force Base, LP-0B at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, SLC-46 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska Pad 1 of the Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska (PSCA).