Minotaur-C
Minotaur-C (formerly Taurus ) is an American launcher manufactured by Orbital Sciences Corporation , Orbital ATK since 2015 . Minotaur-C is the ground start variant of the Pegasus rocket, wherein the carrier aircraft through the first stage of the Peacekeeper - ICBM or their commercial derivative, the castor 120 is replaced stage.
Depending on the version, its payload capacity is between 1180 and 1450 kg in a low orbit . The first launch took place in 1994, she launches both military and commercial payloads. After the second false start of a Taurus 3110 in a row, NASA canceled the start contract for OCO 2 . A new qualification of the rocket would be necessary before further launches.
The rocket was renamed the Minotaur-C in 2014, which goes hand in hand with the takeover of avionics from the Minotaur series. The first launch under the new name took place on October 31, 2017.
Versions
Due to its modular structure, different configurations of the Taurus or Minotaur-C rocket can be put together as required:
| rocket | stages | 1st stage | 2nd stage | 3rd stage | 4th stage | Payload (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1110 | 4th | TU-903 | Orion-50S | Orion-50 | Orion-38 | 1180 kg |
| 2110 | 4th | Castor-120 | Orion-50S-G | Orion-50 | Orion-38 | 1250 kg |
| 2210 | 4th | Castor-120 | Orion-50S-G | Orion-50 | Orion-38 | 1050 kg |
| 3110 (XL) | 4th | Castor-120 | Orion-50SXL | Orion-50XL | Orion-38 | 1450 kg |
| 3210 (XL) | 4th | Castor-120 | Orion-50SXL | Orion-50XL | Orion-38 | 1275 kg |
Taurus 1110
Taurus 2210 with GFO
Taurus 3110 (Taurus-XL) with OCO
Taurus 3110 (Taurus-XL) with Glory
Start list
This is a complete start list for the Taurus and Minotaur-C missiles. List as of December 31, 2019
| Serial No. | Date ( UTC ) | Type | Ser.-No. | Launch site | payload | Type of payload | Payload in kg (gross¹) | Orbit² | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 13, 1994 | Taurus-1110 | T-1 | Va 576E | STEP 0 , DARPASAT | Two military technology satellites | 706 kg | ? | success |
| 2 | February 10, 1998 | Taurus-2210 | T-2 | Va 576E | GFO , Orbcomm FM 3, Orbcomm FM 4 , Celestis 02 | Military oceanography satellite, two communication satellites, space burial | > 500 kg | ? | success |
| 3 | October 3, 1998 | Taurus-1110 | T-3 | Va 576E | STEX , ATEx | Two military technology satellites | 539.4 kg | ? | success |
| 4th | December 21, 1999 | Taurus-2110 | T-4 | Va 576E | KOMPSat 1 , ACRIMSat , Celestis 03 | Korean Earth observation satellite, climate research satellite, space burial | > 589 kg | ? | success |
| 5 | March 13, 2000 | Taurus-1110 | T-5 | Va 576E | MTI | Military technology satellite | 587 kg | ? | success |
| 6th | September 21, 2001 | Taurus-2110 | T-6 | Va 576E | OrbView 4 , QuikTOMS , SBD , Celestis 04 | Earth observation satellite, climate research satellite, technology payload, space burial | > 607 kg | ? | False start problem after disconnecting the 1st stage, orbit was not reached |
| 7th | May 20, 2004 | Taurus-3210 | T-7 | Va 576E | FORMOSAT-2 | Taiwanese Earth Observation Satellite | 764 kg | ? | success |
| 8th | February 24, 2009 | Taurus-3110 | ? | Va 576E | OCO | Earth observation satellite | 407 kg | ? | False start No separation of the payload fairing |
| 9 | March 4, 2011 | Taurus-3110 | ? | Va 576E | Glory , E1P , KySat 1 , HERMES | Earth observation satellite, cubesats | 548 kg | ? | False start No separation of the payload fairing |
| 10 | October 31, 2017 | Minotaur-C-3210 | ? | Va 576E | SkySat , Flock-3m | Six Earth observation satellites, four cubesats | SSO | Success First start as Minotaur-C |
¹ gross weight = (satellites + adapter, housing etc.)
² NOT necessarily the target orbit of the payload, but the path on which the payload from the upper stage is to be deployed.
Taurus II
The significantly larger Antares rocket was initially referred to as the Taurus II , although technically it has nothing in common with the Taurus rocket. On December 12, 2011, Orbital announced that the rocket's name had been changed from Taurus II to Antares.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Stephen Clark: Carbon-sniffing satellite faces one-year delay. In: spaceflightnow.com , February 10, 2012, accessed on February 12, 2012.
- ↑ Stephen Clark: Taurus rocket on the market with new name, upgrades. In: Spaceflight Now. February 24, 2014, accessed November 22, 2017 .
- ↑ Stephen Clark: Ten commercial Earth-observing satellites launched aboard Minotaur-C rocket. In: Spaceflight Now. October 31, 2017, accessed November 22, 2017 .
- ^ Spaceflight Now: NASA science satellite lost in Taurus launch failure
- ↑ Orbital: Orbital Selects "Antares" as Permanent Name for New Rocket Created by the Taurus II R&D Program - Company Brands Medium-Class Launch Vehicle in Preparation for First Flight in 2012
Web links
- Bernd Leitenberger: The Taurus launcher
- Orbital ATK: Minotaur-C Fact Sheet (English)