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Taurus rocket
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Taurus 3210 launching ROCSAT 2 on May 20, 2004. |
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| Fact sheet | ||
|---|---|---|
| Function | Orbital launch vehicle | |
| Manufacturer | Orbital Sciences | |
| Country of origin | USA | |
| Size | ||
| Height | 27.9 m (91.5 ft) | |
| Diameter | 2.35 m (7.7 ft) | |
| Mass | 73,000 kg (160,000 lb) | |
| Stages | 4 | |
| Capacity | ||
| Payload to LEO | 1,320 kg (2,910 lb) | |
| Launch History | ||
| Status | Active | |
| Launch Sites | Wallops Island LC-576E, Vandenberg AFB Cape Canaveral Kodiak Island |
|
| Total launches | 8 | |
| Successes | 7 | |
| Failures | 1 | |
| Maiden flight | 20:06 GMT, 21/12/89 | |
| First Stage - Castor 120 | ||
| Engines | 1 solid | |
| Thrust | 1,606.6 kN (361,177 lbf) | |
| Specific Impulse | 286 sec | |
| Burn time | 83 seconds | |
| Fuel | Solid | |
| Second Stage - Taurus-1 | ||
| Engines | 1 solid | |
| Thrust | 484.9 kN (109,012 lbf) | |
| Specific Impulse | 285 sec | |
| Burn time | 73 seconds | |
| Fuel | solid | |
| Third Stage - Pegasus-2 | ||
| Engines | 1 solid | |
| Thrust | 118.2 kN (26,570 lbf) | |
| Specific Impulse | 292 sec | |
| Burn time | 73 seconds | |
| Fuel | solid | |
| Fourth Stage - Pegasus-3 | ||
| Engines | 1 solid | |
| Thrust | 34.57 kN (7,770 lbf) | |
| Specific Impulse | 293 sec | |
| Burn time | 65 seconds | |
| Fuel | solid | |
The Taurus rocket is a four stage, solid fuel launch vehicle built by Orbital Sciences Corporation. It is based on the air-launched Pegasus rocket from the same manufacturer. The Taurus rocket is able to carry a payload of around 1,350 kg into a low Earth orbit. First launched in 1994, it has successfully completed a total of six out of seven military and commercial missions.[1]
The Taurus first stage, a Castor 120 made by Thiokol, is based on a Peacekeeper ICBM first stage. Stages 2 and 3 are Orion-50s (like the Pegasus-1 but without wings or stabilisers), and stage 4 is an Orion-38 like a Pegasus-3.[2]
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Ariane 5 · Atlas V · Cosmos-3M · Delta II · Delta IV · Dnepr · Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle · H-IIA · Long March · Minotaur · Molniya · Pegasus · Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle · Proton · Rockot · Shavit · Soyuz (U, 2) · Taurus · Tsyklon · Zenit |
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