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OBV (Orbital Boost Vehicle) / Taurus-Lite

Taurus-Lite [BMDO]

OBV [MDA]

OBV (2 stage version)
[BMDO]

The OBV is based on the stages of a wingless Pegasus. It is an alternative launch vehicle for the GBI missile defence system. OBV is a suborbital missile, the term Orbital in the name refers to the manufacturer Orbital Science Corp. (OSC). The prototype Taurus-Lite is based on the three upper stages of the standard Taurus vehicle and is stool-launched in contrast to the operational OBV, which is silo-launched

→ complete list of all Pegasus based rockets

Version Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3
Taurus-Lite Orion-50SXLG Orion-50XL Orion-38
OBV Orion-50SXLG Orion-50XL Orion-38
OBV (2 stage) Orion-50SXLG Orion-50XL -
upg. OBV Orion-50SXLG Orion-50XL (selectable) Orion-38
No:             Type           Date          LS              Payload

 1    1         Taurus-Lite    06.02.2003 *  Va 576E         EKV-Dummy
 2    1         OBV            16.08.2003 *  Va LF-23        EKV-Dummy (BV-6)
 3    2         OBV            26.01.2004 *  Me Com-1        EKV-Dummy (IFT-13B)
 4    3         OBV            14.12.2005 *  Me Com-1        EKV-CE1 (FT-1)
 5    4         OBV            01.09.2006 *  Va LF-23        EKV-CE1 (FTG-02)
 6    5         OBV            28.09.2007 *  Va LF-23        EKV-CE1 (FTG-03a)
 7    6         OBV            05.12.2008 *  Va LF-23        EKV-CE1 (FTG-05)
 8    7         OBV            31.01.2010 *  Va LF-23        EKV-CE2 (FTG-06)
 9    1         OBV (2 stg)    06.06.2010 *  Va LF-24        EKV-CE1 (BVT-1)
10    8         OBV            15.12.2010 *  Va LF-23        EKV-CE2 (FTG-06a)
11    9         OBV            26.01.2013 *  Va LF-23        EKV-CE2 (CTV-1)
12   10         OBV            05.07.2013 *p Va LF-23        EKV-CE1 (FTG-07)
13   11         OBV            22.06.2014 *  Va LF-23        EKV-CE2 (FTG-06b)
14   12         OBV            28.01.2016 *  Va LF-23        EKV-CE2 (CTV-2)
15   13         OBV            31.05.2017 *  Va LF-23        EKV-CE2 Bl.1 (FTG-15)
16   14         OBV            25.03.2019 *  Va LF-23 ?      EKV-CE2 Bl.1 (FTG-11 1)
17   15         OBV            25.03.2019 *  Va LF-05 ?      EKV-CE2 Bl.1 (FTG-11 2)
18    1         upg. OBV       12.09.2021 *  Va LF-24 ?      EKV-Dummy (BVT-03)
19    2         upg. OBV       11.12.2023 *  Va              EKV-CE2 Bl.1 (FTG-12)


planned launches:


Failures:

12: Payload failed to separate due to payload problem


Launch sites:

Me  = Meck Island, Reagan Test Site (formerly Kwajalein Missile Range), Kwajalein, Marshall Islands Marshall Islands
Va  = Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, USA USA


Base sites:
FG  = Fort Greely, Alaska, USA USA

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