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Northrop-Made Minotaur I Rocket Sends NRO Payload to Orbit

Northrop-Made Minotaur I Rocket Sends NRO Payload to Orbit - top government contractors - best government contracting event

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.

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Written by Nichols Martin

a staff writer at Executive Mosaic, produces articles on the federal government's technology and business interests. The coverage of these articles include government contracting, cybersecurity, information technology, health care and national security.

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