Minotaur C
Performance
From its current launch complex SLC-576E on North Vandenberg AFB, Taurus cannot launch due south because it would overfly facilities on the southern part of the base. To reach sun-synchronous and lower inclination orbits, Taurus must fly southwest, then perform a dogleg maneuver to the south at the cost of a modest performance reduction. For this reason, performance to sun-synchronous orbits is higher than 90-deg polar orbits when launched from SLC-576E. Performance is shown for the standard Commercial Taurus both from its current North Base launch site, and from a proposed South Base location. Performance is higher from South Base because the dogleg is not required. Performance is indicated for both payload fairing sizes.
Minotaur-C: Performance to LEO
Orbital Flights Per Year
Flight Record (through 31 December 2002) | SSLV Taurus | Commercial Taurus | Combined Taurus Family |
Total Orbital Flights | 3 | 3 | 6 |
Launch Vehicle Successes | 3 | 1 | 4 |
Launch Vehicle Partial Failures | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Launch Vehicle Failures | 0 | 1 | 1 |