OBV

Orbital/Suborbital Boost Vehicle GBI Boost Vehicle

Mission Profile

The OBV (Orbital/Suborbital Boost Vehicle, GBI Boost Vehicle) is a three-stage American launch vehicle derived from Pegasus technology in the Pegasus family, developed as the booster for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system's interceptor missiles. Standing 16.9 m tall with a 1.7 m diameter and a liftoff mass of 23 tonnes, it generates 1,600 kN of first-stage thrust. First flying in August 2003, the OBV has been used extensively for US missile defence testing and operational interceptor deployments from silos at Fort Greely, Alaska and Vandenberg Space Force Base.