After a 14-year hiatus from the West Coast, Northrop Grumman successfully launched a Minotaur 4 rocket from California, marking a major milestone for the veteran launch vehicle. The mission, designated NROL-174, carried multiple classified payloads for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the U.S. agency responsible for national security satellite intelligence.
Minotaur 4 rocket launching from Space Launch Complex-8.
Image: Vandenberg Space Force Base
The rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 8 at 12:33 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, ascending into a cloudy sky as captured by a camera operated by UC San Diego’s ALERTCalifornia program. As expected for an NRO mission, details surrounding the payloads remain highly classified, though the agency stated they include “multiple national security payloads.”
“This launch is a testament to what the national security launch enterprise is able to achieve,” said Laura Robinson, Deputy Director of the NRO’s Office of Space Launch and Mission Director for NROL-174. “The Minotaur IV was once a Peacekeeper ICBM. Now, it’s completed its final mission in service of our national security from orbit—an incredible transformation and team effort.”
The Minotaur 4 is a four-stage rocket, with its first three stages derived from decommissioned Peacekeeper intercontinental ballistic missiles. The fourth stage is a commercial solid rocket motor. The system is capable of carrying up to 1,730 kilograms (3,814 pounds) to low Earth orbit, making it well-suited for delivering smaller, high-priority payloads into space.
The launch was executed under the U.S. Space Force’s Rocket Systems Launch Program (RSLP), a component of the Orbital/Suborbital Program-3 (OSP-3) contract. This initiative focuses on cost-effective, responsive launches for experimental and operational national security missions. Northrop Grumman’s Minotaur has become a key player in this niche of the space launch market.
“This was our third Minotaur launch for the NRO since July 2020,” said Lt. Col. Steve Hendershot, the U.S. Space Force’s RSLP Materiel Leader. “This mission was textbook—truly outstanding. It showcased the power of our partnership with the NRO and the trust we’ve built.”
Originally developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation, the Minotaur program has undergone a series of evolutions. The company merged with Alliant Techsystems in 2014 to form Orbital ATK, which was later acquired by Northrop Grumman in 2018.
The rocket’s flexibility is one of its standout features. Since its debut in 2010, Minotaur 4 has launched from various U.S. spaceports, including California, Alaska, Florida, and Virginia. Wednesday’s launch was its first return to California’s Vandenberg base since 2011.
Two more Minotaur launches are in the pipeline: the STP-29A mission and the USSF-261S-A flight, currently projected for 2024 and 2025 respectively. The U.S. Space Force has not yet confirmed updated timelines for those missions.
As national security space efforts continue to evolve, Minotaur rockets remain a vital part of the U.S. launch landscape—bridging legacy military hardware with modern space innovation.
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