Orbital Successfully Launches Minotaur I Rocket for U.S. Air Force
07 February 2011 - 2:23PM
Business Wire
Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB), one of the world’s
leading space technology companies, today announced that it
successfully launched a U.S. Government payload aboard a Minotaur I
rocket in a mission that originated from Vandenberg Air Force Base
(VAFB), CA on February 5, 2011. The launch was the 20th for the
Minotaur family of launch vehicles since 2000, all of which have
been successful. Of the 20 total missions, nine have been carried
out by the Minotaur I space launch vehicle configuration.
“For just over a decade, the Minotaur program has proven to be
an extraordinary success for the U.S. Air Force. By efficiently
utilizing surplus government-owned rocket motors, combined with
commercial upper stages, avionics and integration processes, the
Orbital/Suborbital Program has been an exceptional value for
government customers, launching 30 satellites into orbit and nine
payloads on suborbital trajectories,” said Mr. Ron Grabe, Orbital’s
Executive Vice President and General Manager of its Launch Systems
Group.
“As we enter a period of tight government budgets, Orbital is
ready to answer the Department of Defense’s call for greater
affordability, accountability and reliability with the fully
developed Minotaur product line. We are also extending the Minotaur
product line to the civilian space sector with the upcoming
introduction of the Minotaur V high-energy launcher for NASA’s
LADEE lunar mission, which is scheduled for launch in 2013.”
About Orbital’s Minotaur Product Line
Orbital’s Minotaur product line was developed under the U.S. Air
Force’s Orbital/Suborbital Program (OSP). The initial five-year OSP
contract was awarded to Orbital in 1997, while the follow-on
10-year OSP-2 contract was received in 2003. The Minotaur I space
launch vehicle used in the recent launch from VAFB is the original
member of Orbital’s Minotaur product line, which includes both
space launch vehicles and long-range suborbital vehicles for
missile defense and other specialized missions.
Minotaur vehicles are the only proven launchers currently
capable of supporting the Department of Defense’s evolving ORS
launch requirements and are also specifically designed to be
capable of launching from all major U.S. spaceports, including
government and commercial launch sites in Alaska, California,
Florida and Virginia.
All Minotaur rockets share standardized avionics and subsystems,
mature industrial processes and experienced personnel to make them
reliable and cost effective. The Minotaur I space launch
configuration combines Orbital’s commercial launch vehicle
technologies, including upper stage rocket motors, structures,
avionics and other elements, with government-supplied lower-stage
rocket motors to create responsive, reliable and low-cost launch
systems for U.S. government-sponsored spacecraft. It can place up
to 1,300 lbs. into low- Earth orbit.
In addition to the Minotaur I space booster, Orbital’s Minotaur
product line also includes:
- Minotaur
II - A three-stage suborbital rocket used as a target
vehicle for testing U.S. missile defense systems and related
missions;
- Minotaur
III - A three-stage suborbital rocket, Minotaur III can
deliver suborbital technology demonstration payloads of up to 6,500
lbs. or serve as a target vehicle for testing U.S. missile defense
systems and similar missions;
- Minotaur
IV – Introduced and flown three times in 2010, the Minotaur
IV is a heavier-lift four-stage space launch vehicle using retired
Peacekeeper rocket motors, capable of launching U.S.
government-sponsored satellites weighing up to 3,800 lbs. into
low-altitude orbit; and
- Minotaur V
- An enhanced-performance version of the Minotaur IV space launch
vehicle that will be used to launch government satellites into
higher-energy orbits for missions related to space exploration and
other activities beyond low-Earth orbit. The first launch of the
Minotaur V is NASA’s LADEE lunar mission in 2013.
About Orbital
Orbital develops and manufactures small- and medium-class
rockets and space systems for commercial, military and civil
government customers. The company’s primary products are satellites
and launch vehicles, including low-Earth orbit,
geosynchronous-Earth orbit and planetary exploration spacecraft for
communications, remote sensing, scientific and defense missions;
human-rated space systems for Earth-orbit, lunar and other
missions; ground- and air-launched rockets that deliver satellites
into orbit; and missile defense systems that are used as
interceptor and target vehicles. Orbital also provides satellite
subsystems and space-related technical services to U.S. Government
agencies and laboratories.
More information about Orbital can be found at
http://www.orbital.com
Note to Editors: High-resolution images of Minotaur
rockets are available at:
http://www.orbital.com/NewsInfo/ImagesMultimedia/Images/SpaceLaunch/index.shtml