The U.S. Air Force will use a Minotaur 4 rocket (pictured above) from Orbital ATK to launch the ORS-5 satellite.

NASA could save millions of dollars by using Minotaur rockets to launch the Soil Moisture Active-Passive (SMAP) spacecraft and several other medium-class science missions planned through 2020, according to a Feb. 17 report by the NASA Office of Inspector General.

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