An Unusual Abundance: The Utilization of Surplus Minuteman ICBM Motors

Article

“An Unusual Abundance: The Utilization of Surplus Minuteman ICBM Motors” by David K. Stumpf
Published in Quest Volume: 30 #1 (2023)

Abstract

If you are the US government, what do you do with 1,350 surplus Minuteman IA motors (from 450, three-stage solid-fueled missiles) and a like number of Minuteman IB motors when these ICBMs were retired? There was no commercial launch industry in the late 1960s and early 1970s to utilize the motors. Fast-forward to the 1990s when an additional 1,350 Minuteman II motors became available when Minuteman II was deactivated due to treaty obligations. This article details how the Minuteman IB and Minuteman II motors have been used by the government since Congress forbade their use for commercial purposes.

Citation

Stumpf, David K. “An Unusual Abundance: The Utilization of Surplus Minuteman ICBM Motors.” Quest: The History of Spaceflight Quarterly 30, no. 1 (2023): 15-30.