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Orbital Minotaur IV launches with multiple satellites

Orbital Sciences Corporation used their Minotaur IV launch vehicle to loft eight satellites for the United States Government and university research programmes on Friday night. The mission, designated STP S-26, launched from the Kodiak Launch Complex in Alaska one minute into a 90-minute window, wit...

STP S-26

Overview

Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Mission: Dedicated Rideshare

Low Earth Orbit Launch Pad 1 Pacific Spaceport Complex, Alaska, USA

The third Minotaur IV launch, which was also known as STP-S26, deployed eight payloads (STPSat-2, RAX, O/OREOS, FASTSAT, NanoSail-D2, FalconSat-5, Sara-Lily (FASTRAC 1), Emma (FASTRAC 2)). STP-S26 was intended to extend previous standard interface development efforts, implementing a number of capabilities aimed at enabling responsive access to space for small experimental satellites and payloads.

Minotaur IV

Family:
Configuration: HAPS

The Minotaur IV HAPS launch system is derived from the Peacekeeper ICBM. The first three stages are taken directly from decommissioned Peacekeeper missiles. A fourth stage, the Orion-38, is taken from the Pegasus family of air-launched rockets. A fifth stage, consisting of a hydrazine-powered motor called HAPS, increases orbital insertion accuracy and allows additional orbital maneuvering.

Specifications
  • Stages
    5
  • Length
    23.9 m
  • Diameter
    2.35 m
  • Fairing Diameter
  • Launch Mass
    86.0 T
  • Thrust
    2200.0 kN
Family
  • Name
    Minotaur IV
  • Family
  • Variant
    HAPS
  • Alias
    Peacekeeper SLV
  • Full Name
    Minotaur IV HAPS
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
  • Low Earth Orbit
    1750.0 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity

Orbital Sciences Corporation

Orbital Sciences Corporation

(OSC)

Successes: 65 Failures: 7 Pending: 0

Agency Type:

INFO WIKI

Pacific Spaceport Complex, Alaska, USA

Launch Pad 1


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G60 Polar Group 05
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Eighth test flight of the two-stage Starship launch vehicle.


Ariane 62
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1 week ago
CSO-3
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Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 21 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Soyuz 2.1b/Fregat-M
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1 week, 3 days ago
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43/3 (43L) - Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation

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Failure
1 week, 5 days ago
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Launch Area 95A - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Details TBD.


Soyuz 2.1a
Success
1 week, 6 days ago
Progress MS-30 (91P)
31/6 - Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan

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Long March 2
Success
2 weeks ago
SuperView Neo 1-03 & 04
Launch Area 4 (SLS-2 / 603) - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Commercial Earth observation satellites (~540 kg each) built by CAST for China Siwei Survey and Mapping Technology Co. Ltd., with resolution down to …


Falcon 9
Success
2 weeks ago
Starlink Group 12-13
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 21 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.