Recycling! Nuclear Missiles as space launch vehicles

[scooter]

Scott Manley discusses US nuclear missiles (Peacekeeper and Minuteman II) repurposed into orbital launch vehicles

[kerick]

Problem with that idea would be the age of the solid rocket boosters. When they got old the propellant gets unstable and can blow up. I was at the Utah test and Training Range quite a few years ago and watched a Minuteman motor be destroyed by burning it. (biggest cloud of smoke ever!) Apparently they have an expiration date. Same for other solid fuel motors like Polaris and Poseidon. Nice idea if you can make it work.

[PR19_Kit]

'Sorry Mr. President, we can't launch a retaliatory strike, the rocket motors have gone past their 'best-by' date...................' 

[Hobbes]

Problem with that idea would be the age of the solid rocket boosters. When they got old the propellant gets unstable and can blow up. I was at the Utah test and Training Range quite a few years ago and watched a Minuteman motor be destroyed by burning it. (biggest cloud of smoke ever!) Apparently they have an expiration date. Same for other solid fuel motors like Polaris and Poseidon. Nice idea if you can make it work.

They have made it work. Seven Peacekeeper missiles have been used to launch satellites so far (under the Minotaur IV program), for example. It's simple enough: when the expiration date approaches, take the missile out of service, check it and use it to launch a satellite. A more useful EOL than burning it at a range.