Minotaur-C

• Minotaur-C by Skyrocket on 08 May, 2014 13:49
• Orbital has put up a fact sheet for the "new" Minotaur-C rocket:
  
  http://www.orbital.com/LaunchSystems/Publications/MinotaurC_factsheet.pdf
  
  Although the name "Taurus" is completely omitted, it appears that Minotaur-C is simply a re-branding of the Taurus line.
  
  Minotaur-C uses the same configuration numbering as Taurus.
  
  And what is also notable: "All major Minotaur-C configurations (SSLV, Standard and XL) have launched."
  
  The only obvious difference to Taurus i have found, is in the line Streamlined vehicle/payload integration and testing through simplified avionics interfaces and offline payload encapsulation
• #1 by edkyle99 on 08 May, 2014 15:32
• As far as I'm concerned, this is going to be "Taurus ("Minotaur-C")".
  
   - Ed Kyle
• #2 by kevin-rf on 08 May, 2014 15:43
• I thought they mentioned in one of these threads they where updating the flight computer to a more modern design. Name is escaping me right now...
• #3 by arachnitect on 08 May, 2014 15:50
• Skybox Imaging launch in 2015:
  
  http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=34062.0
• #4 by Jim on 08 May, 2014 15:50
• Quote from: kevin-rf on 08 May, 2014 15:43

  I thought they mentioned in one of these threads they where updating the flight computer to a more modern design. Name is escaping me right now...
  

  
  MACH
• #5 by edkyle99 on 08 May, 2014 15:54
• Quote from: kevin-rf on 08 May, 2014 15:43

  I thought they mentioned in one of these threads they where updating the flight computer to a more modern design. Name is escaping me right now...
  

  I think they call it MACH, the avionics name for the existing Minotaur line.
  
  In 1995, McDonnell Douglas upgraded Delta II avionics from DRIMS to RIFCA and didn't change the name of its rocket.  I'm sure there are other examples.
  
   - Ed Kyle
• #6 by Kim Keller on 09 May, 2014 18:10
• MACH: Modular Avionics Control Hardware. It's a family of modular "slices" that can be bolted together in many different configurations to perform various functions, such as the vehicle's central flight computer or a telemetry multiplexer, to name just two. A MACH flight computer guided the last Pegasus mission, Antares uses an all-MACH architecture, and Orbital aims to make it the standard architecture for all their vehicles.