Nichols Martin
A Northrop Grumman-made rocket with a payload from the National Reconnaissance Office lifted off from NASA’s Virginia-based Wallops Flight Facility as part of the company’s Orbital-Suborbital Program-3 contract.
Northrop said Tuesday its NROL-111 mission marks the 12th flight with the Minotaur I launch vehicle and the 28th with the Minotaur fleet overall.
The U.S. Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center issued the OSP-3 contract to access Minotaur I for NROL-111. Federal customers signed with the OSP-4 contract may also use Minotaur rockets.
Minotaur launch vehicles, so far, have flown from sites in Virginia, Florida, California and Alaska. Northrop produces Minotaur in Clearfield and Magna, Utah; Vandenberg, California; and Chandler, Arizona.
Minotaur I combines Orion 50XL and Orion 38 solid rocket motors with two Minuteman motors to fly while transporting a maximum of 1,278 pounds of payload to low Earth orbit.
“Northrop Grumman is able to repurpose retired Peacekeeper and Minuteman propulsion, integrating them with company-built solid rocket motors along with new subsystems for our Minotaur family of launch vehicles,” said Rich Straka, vice president for launch vehicles at Northrop Grumman.
