Minotaur II rockets consist of the M55A1 first stage and SR19AJ1 second stage of a decommissioned Minuteman missile. The third stage varies depending on the configuration required for the payload: a Minuteman II M57A1 stage is used on the baseline configuration, whilst the Minotaur II+ uses an SR-73-AJ. The Minotaur II Lite is a two-stage configuration, without a third stage. A heavy configuration is also available, with an Orion 50XL third stage, as used on the Minotaur I. The baseline configuration can propel a payload downrange, whilst the heavy configuration can place onto an trajectory.
Nine Minotaur II rockets have been launched as of July 2022, with six flights using the baseline configuration and three using the Minotaur II+ configuration. Launches are conducted from Launch Facility 06 (LF-06) and Test Pad 01 (TP-01).
Launch history Flight No.Date (UTC) Rocket Payload Launch pad Trajectory Result 1May 28, 2000 20:00 Minotaur II OSP-TLV Missile Defense Technology Demonstrator Vandenberg LF-06 Suborbital 2December 12, 2001Minotaur IIIFT-7 target missionVandenberg LF-06Suborbital 3March 16, 2002 02:11 Minotaur II TLV-1 IFT-8 GMDS target mission Vandenberg LF-06 Suborbital 4October 15, 2002 02:01 Minotaur II TLV-3 GMDS target mission Vandenberg LF-06 Suborbital 5December 11, 2002 08:26 Minotaur II TLV-4 GMDS target mission Vandenberg LF-06 Suborbital 6March 20, 2007 04:27 Minotaur II TLV-5 FTX-02 SBR target mission Vandenberg LF-06 Suborbital 7August 23, 2007 08:30 Minotaur II+ TLV-7 Mission 2a sensor target for NFIRE satellite Vandenberg LF-06 Suborbital 8September 24, 2008 06:57 Minotaur II+ TLV-8 Mission 2b sensor target for NFIRE satellite Vandenberg LF-06 Suborbital 9July 7, 2022 06:01 Minotaur II+ Mk21A reentry vehicle test Vandenberg TP-01 Suborbital
Notes
References