MINOTAUR IV FACT SHEET

By Cliff Lethbridge

Minotaur IV Launch, Photo Courtesy Orbital ATK

Classification: Space Launch Vehicle

Length: 78 feet, 4 inches

Diameter: 7 feet, 8 inches

Date of First Cape Canaveral Launch: August 26, 2017

Date of Final Cape Canaveral Launch: Active

Number of Cape Canaveral Launches: Active

Minotaur IV is a space launch vehicle based on the Peacekeeper Inter-Continental Ballistic missile. It is manufactured by Orbital ATK. The rocket can employ four or five solid-fueled stages, the first three of which are derived directly from the Peacekeeper missile. The SR-118 first stage can produce a launch thrust of 490,000 pounds. The SR-119 second stage can produce a thrust of 307,000 pounds, while the SR-120 third stage can produce a thrust of 74,000 pounds. Two different fourth stages are available. An Orion-38 fourth stage can produce a thrust of 7,200 pounds. A Star-48V fourth stage can produce a thrust of 15,400 pounds. In the application used during the Minotaur IV’s maiden launch from Cape Canaveral, the rocket carried an Orion-38 fourth and fifth stage to help place the payload into an equatorial orbit. The rocket is capable of delivering a 3,825-pound payload to Low Earth Orbit.