Orbital Launches Minotaur Rocket Carrying U.S. Military Satellite

DULLES, Va., Sept. 26, 2005/Satnews Daily/ — Orbital Sciences Corp. (NYSE:ORB) announced on Friday the successful launch of a satellite for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) aboard a company-built Minotaur I rocket.

The mission, called STP-R1, originated on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2005 at approximately 10:25 p.m. (EDT) from Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB), CA when the Minotaur rocket ignited its first stage motor and lifted-off from its West Coast launch site. Orbital said approximately nine minutes after launch, the STP-R1 satellite was inserted into its targeted orbit of approximately 300 kilometers above the Earth. The mission was the fourth flight of the Minotaur I space launch vehicle, all of which have been successful, according to Orbital.

The Minotaur I space launch vehicle used in Thursday’s successful launch of the STP-R1 satellite is the initial member of Orbital's Minotaur family of launch vehicles, which include both space launch vehicles as well as long-range missile defense targets and other suborbital vehicles.

The rockets are derived from U.S. Government-supplied Minuteman and Peacekeeper rocket motors. Orbital said the space launch configurations combine commercial rocket motors, avionics and other elements with the government-supplied stages to create responsive, reliable and low-cost launch systems for U.S. Government payloads.

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