Minotaur I

Minotaur I

Minotaur I with NFIRE at MARS
Function	Small expendable launch system
Manufacturer	Northrop Grumman
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	4 or 5
Capacity
Payload to LEO
Mass	580 kilograms (1,280 lb)
Payload to SSO
Mass	331 kilograms (730 lb)
Launch history
Status	Active
Launch sites	Vandenberg SLC-8 MARS LP-0B
Total launches	12
Success(es)	12
First flight	27 January 2000
Last flight	15 June 2021
First stage – M55A1
Powered by	1 Solid
Maximum thrust	935 kilonewtons (210,000 lbf)
Propellant	Solid
Second stage – SR19
Powered by	1 Solid
Maximum thrust	268 kilonewtons (60,000 lbf)
Propellant	Solid
Third stage – Orion 50XL
Powered by	1 Solid
Maximum thrust	118.2 kilonewtons (26,600 lbf)
Burn time	74 seconds
Propellant	Solid
Fourth stage – Orion 38
Powered by	1 Solid
Maximum thrust	34.8 kilonewtons (7,800 lbf)
Burn time	68 seconds
Propellant	Solid
[edit on Wikidata]

The Minotaur I, or just Minotaur is an American expendable launch system derived from the Minuteman II missile.^[1] It is used to launch small satellites for the US Government, and is a member of the Minotaur family of rockets produced by Orbital Sciences Corporation (now Northrop Grumman).^[2]