Minotaur-C successfully launches 10 commercial smallsats
Capitalism in space: Orbital ATK’s Minotaur-C rocket today successfully launched 10 commercial smallsats.
It appears that they have upgraded the accused Taurus rocket in renaming it Minotaur-C.
After Orbital ATK suffered a series of launch failures with the Taurus rockets — which led to the loss of NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory as well as its Glory climate-monitoring satellite — the company redesigned the Taurus. The new and improved rocket uses newer and more reliable technologies that Orbital ATK had built for its other Minotaur rockets.
This success is a very good thing for Orbital ATK, as the rocket likely gives them a strong position in the emerging smallsat market.
Capitalism in space: Orbital ATK’s Minotaur-C rocket today successfully launched 10 commercial smallsats.
It appears that they have upgraded the accused Taurus rocket in renaming it Minotaur-C.
After Orbital ATK suffered a series of launch failures with the Taurus rockets — which led to the loss of NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory as well as its Glory climate-monitoring satellite — the company redesigned the Taurus. The new and improved rocket uses newer and more reliable technologies that Orbital ATK had built for its other Minotaur rockets.
This success is a very good thing for Orbital ATK, as the rocket likely gives them a strong position in the emerging smallsat market.