Air Force space officials prepare to launch first Minotaur IV
The first launch of the Minotaur IV Space Launch Vehicle is scheduled to occur Apr. 20 at noon PDT from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
The Minotaur IV is the newest variant in the Minotaur family of rockets built by Orbital Sciences Corporation. It is a four-stage solid rocket vehicle consisting of three decommissioned Peacekeeper missile stages and a fourth commercially built stage developed by OSC. For this maiden lift-off, the rocket will be in a "lite" configuration consisting of only the first three stages and no fourth stage due to mission requirements.
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