Minotaur III
| Function | Heavy suborbital launch system |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Orbital Sciences |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Size | |
| Stages | Four |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to 5000km S/O | |
| Mass | 3,000 kilograms (6,600 lb) |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Canceled |
| Launch sites | Vandenberg SFB, SLC-8 PSCA, LP-1 |
| Total launches | 0 |
| First stage – SR-118 | |
| Powered by | 1 Solid |
| Maximum thrust | 2,224 kilonewtons (500,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 229 s (2.25 km/s) (sea level) |
| Burn time | 56.6 seconds |
| Propellant | HTPB |
| Second stage – SR-119 | |
| Powered by | 1 Solid |
| Maximum thrust | 1,223 kilonewtons (275,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 308 s (3.02 km/s) |
| Burn time | 61 seconds |
| Propellant | HTPB |
| Third stage – SR-120 | |
| Powered by | 1 Solid |
| Maximum thrust | 289 kilonewtons (65,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 300 s (2.9 km/s) |
| Burn time | 72 seconds |
| Propellant | NEPE |
| Fourth stage – Super-HAPS | |
| Powered by | 12 MR-107K |
| Propellant | Hydrazine |
The Minotaur III, also known as OSP-2 Target Launch Vehicle, Peacekeeper TLV, or OSP-2 TLV was an American rocket concept derived from the LGM-118 Peacekeeper missile. It was a member of the Minotaur family of rockets produced by Orbital Sciences Corporation (now part of Northrop Grumman) and would have been used for long-range suborbital launches with heavy payloads. The Minotaur III was to be capable of launching 3,000 kilograms (6,600 lb) of payload 5,000 kilometres (3,100 mi) downrange. This role has been taken over by the near-identical Minotaur IV Lite and the lighter-lift Minotaur II.
Minotaur III launches would have been conducted from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California and the Kodiak Launch Complex in Alaska.