Minotaur

American ICBM-derived solid-fuel small-lift rocket

Minotaur rockets are made from decommissioned Minuteman and Peacekeeper ballistic missiles, repurposed as small launch vehicles for US national security payloads. Only the US government can book a flight. The Minotaur IV launched a classified National Reconnaissance Office mission from Vandenberg in April 2025 — the first Minotaur launch from California in fourteen years.