Orion 50
Orion 50 (50T) is the air-ignited, vectorable-nozzle solid motor identified by Northrop Grumman for the second stage of the Pegasus Standard lineage. Current Northrop propulsion materials list 50.2-inch diameter, 75.1-second burn time, 29,554 lbf maximum vacuum thrust, 290.23-second effective specific impulse, and QDL-1 HTPB polymer propellant with 19% aluminum. This record uses active for current catalog and product-line support without asserting current Pegasus production; historical developer attribution remains unresolved.
Identity
- Aliases
- Pegasus Stage 2 Orion 50
- Domains
- spaceflight
- Identity Level
- model
- Kind
- solid-rocket-motor
- Name
- Orion 50
- Status
- active
Details
- Description
- Orion 50 (50T) is the air-ignited, vectorable-nozzle solid motor identified by Northrop Grumman for the second stage of the Pegasus Standard lineage. Current Northrop propulsion materials list 50.2-inch diameter, 75.1-second burn time, 29,554 lbf maximum vacuum thrust, 290.23-second effective specific impulse, and QDL-1 HTPB polymer propellant with 19% aluminum. This record uses active for current catalog and product-line support without asserting current Pegasus production; historical developer attribution remains unresolved.
- Manufacturers
- Propellants
- solid composite propellantQDL-1 HTPB polymer with 19% aluminum
- Rocket Specs
- Burn Time S
- 75.1
- Vacuum Specific Impulse S
- 290.23
- Vacuum Thrust Kn
- 131.463
Links
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- August 1, 2026 at 15:44:10 UTC
- Updated Time
- August 21, 2026 at 00:01:55 UTC
Other
- Sources
- Accessed Date
- 2026-08-01
- Note
- NASA launch-vehicle table identifies Pegasus Standard as a three-stage vehicle with one Orion 50S first-stage motor, one Orion 50 second-stage motor, and one Orion 38 third-stage motor.
- Publisher
- NASA
- Title
- Aeronautics and Space Report of the President, 1998
- Accessed Date
- 2026-08-01
- Note
- Northrop Grumman Orion series chart distinguishes Orion 50 from Orion 50S and maps the unsuffixed 50 motor to the second-stage motor position.
- Publisher
- Northrop Grumman
- Title
- Orion Motor Series
- Accessed Date
- 2026-08-20
- Note
- Current Northrop Grumman propulsion catalog identifies exact Orion 50 (50T) performance: 50.2-inch diameter, 75.1-second burn time, 29,554 lbf maximum vacuum thrust, 290.23-second effective specific impulse, and QDL-1 HTPB polymer propellant with 19% aluminum.
- Publisher
- Northrop Grumman
- Title
- Propulsion Products Catalog — Orion 50 (50T)
- Accessed Date
- 2026-08-20
- Note
- Current Northrop Grumman commercial rocket-motors page presents the Orion product line as part of the company space propulsion portfolio; used for current product-line context, not as proof of current Pegasus production.
- Publisher
- Northrop Grumman
- Title
- Commercial Rocket Motors