AeroVia LogoAeroVia
Back to Vehicle Families

Minotaur I

Minotaur I is the active four-stage small orbital launcher built from decommissioned Minuteman II first and second stages and Pegasus-derived Orion 50XL and Orion 38 upper stages. Twelve orbital vehicles flew successfully from 2000 through 2021, serving government-sponsored payloads from Vandenberg and Wallops.

Minotaur I
NASA / Carla Cioffi · NASA asset; NASA Image Library item 201309060002HQ identifies the exact Minotaur V/LADEE image and credits NASA / Carla Cioffi. NASA’s current Images and Media Usage Guidelines generally permit factual or informational/editorial use with NASA attribution and without implying NASA endorsement. Commercial, promotional, merchandise, logo/insignia, identifiable-person, or other protected-rights use may require separate clearance; verify before such use. · Source
Follow this vehicle family

Future launches and major activity directly linked to this vehicle family.

Identity

Aliases
Minotaur 1OSP Minotaur I
Family Name
Minotaur
Full Name
Minotaur I
Status
active
Type
rocket
Variant Name
I

Details

Description
Minotaur I is the active four-stage small orbital launcher built from decommissioned Minuteman II first and second stages and Pegasus-derived Orion 50XL and Orion 38 upper stages. Twelve orbital vehicles flew successfully from 2000 through 2021, serving government-sponsored payloads from Vandenberg and Wallops.
First Flight Year
2,000
Last Flight Year
2,021
Manufacturer
Operator
Parent Vehicle Family
Propulsion Configurations
  • Entries
    • Count
      1
      Placement
      core
      Propulsion System
      Role
      main
      Stage
      first-stage
      Variant Notes
      M55A1 first-stage motor.
    • Count
      1
      Placement
      upper
      Propulsion System
      Role
      upper-stage
      Stage
      second-stage
      Variant Notes
      SR19 second-stage motor.
    • Count
      1
      Placement
      upper
      Propulsion System
      Role
      upper-stage
      Stage
      third-stage
      Variant Notes
      Orion 50XL third-stage motor.
    • Count
      1
      Placement
      upper
      Propulsion System
      Role
      upper-stage
      Stage
      fourth-stage
      Variant Notes
      Orion 38 fourth-stage motor.
    Name
    Minotaur I standard configuration
    Notes
    Minotaur I four-stage solid-propellant configuration: M55A1 first stage, SR19 second stage, Orion 50XL third stage, and Orion 38 fourth stage.
Rocket Specs
Payload Capacity
LEO
…
Reusability
expendable
Stages Count
4

Links

Official Url
https://cdn.northropgrumman.com/-/media/Project/Northrop-Grumman/ngc/what-we-do/space/launch-vehicles/minotaur/Minotaur-I-User-Guide.pdf
Wikipedia Url
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minotaur_I

Assets & Meta

Creation Time
July 13, 2026 at 10:55:32 UTC
Updated Time
August 14, 2026 at 08:22:58 UTC
Image
Download