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Atlas 3B
Part of Atlas
Atlas IIIA / Atlas I
Atlas IIIA / Atlas I
Credit: © Mark Wade
American orbital launch vehicle. This was the first version of the Atlas to fly using Russian RD-180 engines; and the last version to fly using the original balloon-tank concept for the first stage. It differed from the Atlas IIIA in use of a stretched, two-engine upper stage, and had a brief three-year operational career in 2002-2005 before being superseded by the Atlas V.

AKA: Atlas IIARC;Atlas IIIB;Atlas IIRC. Status: Retired 2005. First Launch: 2002-02-21. Last Launch: 2005-02-03. Number: 4 . Payload: 10,718 kg (23,629 lb). Thrust: 2,600.00 kN (584,500 lbf). Gross mass: 218,588 kg (481,904 lb). Height: 52.80 m (173.20 ft). Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Apogee: 40,000 km (24,000 mi).

The single-stage Atlas IIIB booster was the same as that used for the Atlas IIIA. The Lockheed-Martin manufactured Centaur upper stage was powered by two Pratt & Whitney RL10A-4-2 turbopump-fed engines burning liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. The changes to Centaur for the Atlas IIIB included a stretched tank (1.68 m) and the addition of the second engine. Guidance, tank pressurization, and propellant usage controls for both Atlas and Centaur phases were provided by the inertial navigation unit (INU) located on the forward equipment module.

In a typical Atlas IIIB launch, the vehicle's two RD-180 thrust chambers were ignited shortly before liftoff. Pre-programmed engine thrust settings were used during booster ascent to minimize vehicle loads by throttling back during peak transonic loads in the high dynamic pressure region, while otherwise maximizing vehicle performance. Just over two minutes into flight, as the vehicle reached an axial acceleration of 4 g's, the engines began to throttle back, eventually initiating a constant throttle rate to sustain acceleration at 5.5 g's. Booster engine cutoff occurred approximately three minutes into flight and was followed by separation of Centaur from Atlas.

The first Centaur burn lasted about five minutes, after which the Centaur and its payload coasted in a parking orbit. During the first burn, approximately eight seconds after ignition, the payload fairing was jettisoned. The second Centaur ignition occurred 27 minutes into the flight, continued for about three minutes, and was followed several minutes later by the separation of the spacecraft from Centaur. Major suppliers included: NPO Energomash / Pratt & Whitney - Atlas RD-180 engines; Pratt & Whitney - Centaur engines; Honeywell - Inertial Navigation Unit; BF Goodrich - Digital acquisition system; SAAB - Payload Separation Systems.

LEO Payload: 10,718 kg (23,629 lb). Payload: 4,500 kg (9,900 lb) to a GTO. Launch Price $: 105.000 million in 2000 dollars.

Stage Data - Atlas IIIB



Family: orbital launch vehicle. Country: USA. Engines: RD-180, RL-10A-4-2. Spacecraft: Intruder, HS 601, AS 2100, LM 700. Launch Sites: Cape Canaveral LC36B. Stages: Atlas IIIA, Centaur IIIB. Agency: Martin.

2002 February 21 - . 12:43 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC36B. Launch Pad: SLC36B. LV Family: Atlas. Launch Vehicle: Atlas 3B.
2003 April 12 - . 00:47 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC36B. Launch Pad: SLC36B. LV Family: Atlas. Launch Vehicle: Atlas 3B.
2003 December 18 - . 02:30 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC36B. Launch Pad: SLC36B. LV Family: Atlas. Launch Vehicle: Atlas 3B.
2005 February 3 - . 07:41 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC36B. Launch Pad: SLC36B. LV Family: Atlas. Launch Vehicle: Atlas 3B.

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