The recent launch featured the 200 kg satellite STPSat-7 as the primary payload, equipped with five payloads for testing satellite communication and analyzing space weather.
The STP program, managed by the U.S. Department of Defense since 1967, focuses on deploying military research, experimental, and technological spacecraft. The Minotaur 4 rocket, derived from an intercontinental ballistic missile, is a seldom-used vehicle, with only six launches conducted since 2010 from four different spaceports.
