# Northrop Grumman Minotaur
*launch services*

Northrop Grumman Minotaur family of solid-fuel launch vehicles for U.S. government payloads, using decommissioned missile motors with commercial upper stages.

## Specifications
- **merge suggestions**: [{"slug":"northrop-grumman-pegasus-xl","name":"Northrop Grumman Pegasus Xl","score":0.6296296296296297,"matchedOn":"slug","matchedValue":"northrop-grumman-pegasus-xl"}]
- **vehicle family**: Minotaur I/IV/V/VI
- **payload to leo kg**: 3100
- **entity type**: launch_service
- **last verified date**: 2026-06-16
- **verified by**: operator
- **claim status**: unclaimed
- **provider**: northrop-grumman
- **attributes**: {"merge_suggestions":"[{\"slug\":\"northrop-grumman-pegasus-xl\",\"name\":\"Northrop Grumman Pegasus Xl\",\"score\":0.6296296296296297,\"matchedOn\":\"slug\",\"matchedValue\":\"northrop-grumman-pegasus-xl\"}]","vehicle_family":"Minotaur I/IV/V/VI","payload_to_leo_kg":3100,"description":"Northrop Grumman Minotaur family of solid-fuel launch vehicles for U.S. government payloads, using decommissioned missile motors with commercial upper stages."}

## Editorial
Northrop Grumman Minotaur is a solid-fuel launch-vehicle family for U.S. government-sponsored payloads. The service combines government-furnished decommissioned missile motors with Northrop Grumman commercial launch technologies, with Northrop Grumman as launch service provider and prime contractor.[^northrop-minotaur-page][^ussf-stp-s29a]

The family includes Minotaur I, IV, V, and VI: Minotaur I uses Minuteman motors, Minotaur IV uses three decommissioned Peacekeeper motors plus a commercial upper stage, and Minotaur V and VI extend the IV architecture for higher-energy or heavier LEO missions.[^northrop-minotaur-page][^northrop-minotaur-iv-vi-guide]

Published lift capability spans up to 580 kg to LEO for Minotaur I, 1,730 kg for Minotaur IV, and 3,100 kg for Minotaur VI.[^northrop-minotaur-page] Minotaur I first flew in 2000, Minotaur IV first flew in 2010, and the family remained active in 2026, including the STP-S29A Minotaur IV launch from Vandenberg on 2026-04-07.[^ussf-stp-s29a]

## Sources
- [northrop-minotaur-page] | Minotaur Rocket, Northrop Grumman | https://www.northropgrumman.com/what-we-do/space/launch-vehicles/minotaur | tier=operator-marketing | accessed=2026-06-16
- [northrop-minotaur-iv-vi-guide] | Minotaur IV-VI User Guide, Northrop Grumman | https://www.northropgrumman.com/wp-content/uploads/Minotaur-IV-VI-User-Guide.pdf | tier=operator-engineering | accessed=2026-06-16 | published=2020-09-01
- [ussf-stp-s29a] | U.S. Space Force launches DoW STP-S29A mission | https://www.ssc.spaceforce.mil/Newsroom/Article-Display/Article/4453711/us-space-force-launches-dow-stp-s29a-mission-delivers-experimental-and-research | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-16 | published=2026-04-07

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Source: https://eo-atlas.org/launch_services/northrop-grumman-minotaur
Maintainer: SpectraWorks B.V. (CC-BY 4.0)