Historical eventSeptember 62013

Minotaur V

The first Minotaur V rocket is launched from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, carrying NASA's LADEE spacecraft.

Everything on September 6Original source

In context

When
Friday, September 6 201313 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
21st century · 2010s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 2013.

What came beforeAI-assisted

NASA selected the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) mission in 2008 to study the Moon's thin atmosphere and dust environment. The mission was designed to answer fundamental questions about lunar volatiles and dust transport before human return missions.

The Minotaur V rocket was developed by Orbital ATK as a converted ballistic missile launch vehicle. It had been successfully tested in 2013 with the Ares 1-X test flight heritage informing its design.

Catalyst / how it startedAI-assisted

LADEE required a dedicated launch vehicle capable of reaching lunar orbit with precise trajectory control. NASA selected the Minotaur V as the most cost-effective option for this science mission.

Who was involvedAI-assisted

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center managed the LADEE mission and spacecraft development. Orbital ATK (now Northrop Grumman) built and operated the Minotaur V launch vehicle.

The Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops Island, Virginia provided the launch facility. The mission involved collaboration between multiple NASA centers and contractors.

TimelineAI-assisted

LADEE launched at 11:27 PM EDT on September 6, 2013 from Wallops Island. The spacecraft reached lunar orbit on October 6, 2013 and began its 100-day science mission.

What happened

The first Minotaur V rocket is launched from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, carrying NASA's LADEE spacecraft.

September 6 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 2009Roll-on/roll-off
  2. 2012September 2012 Baradan Bay, Turkey, migrant boat disaster
  3. 2013Cyanide
  4. 2013Minotaur V
  5. 2017Hurricane Irma
  6. 2018Jair Bolsonaro
  7. 2018Supreme Court of India
  8. 2022Boris Johnson
  9. 2022Russo-Ukrainian war
  10. 2022Liz Truss
  11. 202621 Air Flight 7598

Also in 2013

  • May 112013 Reyhanlı car bombingsTwo car bombs by unknown perpetrators exploded in Reyhanlı, Turkey, resulting in 52 killed and 140 injured.
  • September 12NASANASA confirms that its Voyager 1 probe has become the first manmade object to enter interstellar space.
  • September 13TalibanTaliban insurgents attack the United States consulate in Herat, Afghanistan, with two members of the Afghan National Police reported dead…
  • September 15Ivan KuleshThe Belarusian serial killer Ivan Kulesh murdered two saleswomen in Lida.
  • September 16Washington Navy Yard shootingA lone gunman fatally shot twelve people and injured three others at the headquarters of the Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, D.C.
  • September 17Grand Theft Auto VGrand Theft Auto V earns more than half a billion dollars on its first day of release.
  • September 18Via RailA VIA Rail train crashes into a double-decker bus at a train station in Ottawa, Canada, killing six people and injuring 35 others.
  • November 17Tornado outbreak of November 17, 2013An outbreak of 77 confirmed tornadoes occurred in seven U.S. states; it became the largest November tornado outbreak in Illinois and Indi…

Everything we record for 2013 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Minotaur V”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/minotaur-v-2013-september-6, accessed October 27, 2026.

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Questions about this entry

When did Minotaur V happen?

September 6 2013 — 13 years ago, on a Friday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints. Panels marked AI-assisted were filled where the sources left a heading empty.

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