Northrop Grumman Minotaur V

Minotaur V is a small-lift launch vehicle repurposed from the retired LGM-118 Peacekeeper intercontinental ballistic missile, developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation and now part of Northrop Grumman. It is a five-stage vehicle derived from the Minotaur IV, essentially a Minotaur IV+ with an added fifth stage, designed to place up to 630 kilograms (1,390 lb) of payload into a geosynchronous transfer orbit or 342 kilograms (754 lb) on a trans-lunar trajectory. The first stage SR118 motor provides 2,224 kilonewtons (500,000 lbf) of thrust, the second stage uses an SR119 motor, the fourth stage is a Star 48BV and the fifth stage is a Star 37 motor in either a spin-stabilized or a three-axis stabilized variant. It made its maiden and so far only flight on September 7, 2013, from Pad 0B at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in Virginia, carrying NASA LADEE lunar exoatmosphere spacecraft. Although it is still offered for launch services, no further flights are scheduled as of 2026.