The LADEE mission will be riding its way to space aboard a rocket called the Minotaur V, the fifth in a series of rockets that increases its lofting capability with each successive generation. The fifth generation also happens to be a five-stage rocket, meaning five rocket segments that fire successively. When each stage is done firing it is detached from the rocket and left to burn up in the atmosphere. Staging allows the rocket to dump the dead weight and maintain efficiency as it reaches higher altitudes.
The Minotaur family of rockets have come into existence as a result of the US military's decommissioning of Minuteman and Peacekeeper intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), once in place as our nuclear deterrent against the Soviet Union. The Orbital Sciences corporation was contracted by the US Air Force to convert these missiles into orbital and sub-orbital launchers. They have been used to put satellites into orbit and as targets for anti-ballistic missile tests during which the Air Force practices destroying an incoming, hostile missile. The first three stages of these rockets use solid propellants which make them very safe to work with, stable for long-term storage, and reliable when fired. In fact, the Minotaur family has a 100% success rate to date.
This launch is the first time that the five-stage configuration will be employed for this family of rockets. To be completely honest, this is not a high-risk "first" because the two commercially developed upper stages have been flow successfully before, however, that's no guarantee that it will be smooth sailing. Each rocket stage has its own computer that controls its ignition and operations and if these computers do not work together properly the vehicle could very well destroy itself, though that is a very unlikely scenario for the Minotaur V. Here's wishing the best of luck to the Orbital Sciences team!
For more detailed information about the Minotaur V rocket, visit Orbital Sciences' fact sheet.
Tomorrow's Topic: Look out Kennedy Space Center, the Mid Atlantic Spaceport is getting busy!
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