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Launch Complex 576E
Launch Complex 576E (LC-576E or SLC-576E) is a launch pad located at Vandenberg Space Force Base near Lompoc, California. Part of the ABRES series of launch complexes, the pad was originally designed and built for the launching and testing of SM-65 Atlas ICBMs as part of the Western Range, and now serves as an orbital launch site for the Minotaur-C launch vehicles. History LC-576E was originally constructed by the United States Air Force in the late 1950s as part of the Complex ABRES series of launch pads, to be used in the testing of the SM-65F Atlas for the Strategic Air Command. The maiden launch from the complex was performed on August 1, 1962, and further seeing three additional Atlas launches over the next two years. This era swiftly came to an end however with the retirement of the Atlas as a missile in 1965, following the wake of replacements like the LGM-25C Titan II and the LGM-30 Minuteman being introduced. Additionally, with orbital Atlas rockets from Vandenberg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taurus (rocket)
Minotaur-C (''Minotaur Commercial''), formerly known as Taurus or Taurus XL, is a four stage solid fueled launch vehicle built in the United States by Orbital Sciences (now Northrop Grumman) and launched from SLC-576E at California's Vandenberg Air Force Base. It is based on the air-launched Pegasus rocket from the same manufacturer, utilizing a "zeroth stage" in place of an airplane. The Minotaur-C is able to carry a maximum payload of around 1458 kg into a low Earth orbit (LEO). First launched in 1994, it has successfully completed seven out of a total of ten military and commercial missions. Three of four launches between 2001 and 2011 ended in failure, including the 24 February 2009 launch of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory mission and the 4 March 2011 launch of the Glory mission, which resulted in losses totalling US$700 million for NASA (excluding the cost of the rockets themselves). The Taurus launch vehicle was subsequently rebranded in 2014 as Minotaur-C, which i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |