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] (2010)
Size
Height	23.88 m (78.3 ft)
Diameter	2.34 m (7 ft 8 in)
Mass	86,300 kg (190,300 lb)
Stages	4
Capacity
Payload to LEO
Altitude	200 km (120 mi)
Orbital inclination	28.5°
Mass	IV: 1,591 kg (3,508 lb) IV+: 1,837 kg (4,050 lb)[2]
Payload to 6600km S/O trajectory
Mass	IV Lite: 3,000 kg (6,600 lb)[2]
Associated rockets
Family	Minotaur
Derivative work	Minotaur V
Launch history
Status	Active
Launch sites	Cape Canaveral, SLC-46 Kodiak Island, LP-1 Vandenberg, SLC-8 Wallops Island, LP-0B
Total launches	8
Success(es)	8
First flight	22 April 2010
Last flight	16 April 2025
First stage – SR-118
Maximum thrust	2,224 kN (500,000 lbf)[2]
Specific impulse	229 s (2.25 km/s)[3]
Burn time	56.6 seconds
Propellant	HTPB
Second stage – SR-119
Maximum thrust	1,223 kN (275,000 lbf)[2]
Specific impulse	308 s (3.02 km/s)[3]
Burn time	61 seconds
Propellant	HTPB
Third stage – SR-120
Maximum thrust	289 kN (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
Maximum thrust	32.2 kN (7,200 lbf)
Specific impulse	288 s (2.82 km/s)
Burn time	67.7 seconds
Propellant	HTPB
Fourth stage (Minotaur IV+) – Star 48BV
Maximum thrust	68.6 kN (15,400 lbf)
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 retired 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] The first three stages are decommissioned Peacekeeper missile motors. On the baseline Minotaur IV, the fourth stage is an Orion 38. The higher-performance Minotaur IV+ variant instead replaces the Orion motor with a Star 48BV fourth stage. A three-stage configuration (no Orion 38 or Star 48), designated the Minotaur IV Lite, is available for suborbital trajectories. 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 Pad 1 of the Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska (PSCA).