| Atlas |
home
topic index |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Atlas rocket, originally developed as America's first ICBM, was the basis for most early American space exploration and was that country's most successful medium-lift commercial launch vehicle. It launched America's first astronaut into orbit; the first generations of spy satellites; the first lunar orbiters and landers; the first probes to Venus, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn; and was America's most successful commercial launcher of communications satellites. Its innovative stage-and-a-half and 'balloon tank' design provided the best dry-mass fraction of any launch vehicle ever built. It was retired in 2004 after 576 launches in a 47-year career. Atlas began with a US Army Air Corps request for proposal in October 1945 for long-range missile designs. By 10 January 1946, Consolidated-Vultee’s engineers, under the leadership of Belgian-born Karel Bossart, submitted their proposals for two 6,000-nautical mile missiles: one subsonic, winged, and jet powered; the other supersonic, ballistic, and rocket powered. New technologies proposed for the ballistic missile included extremely low structural weight through use of steel monocoque single-wall construction tanks, kept rigid by internal tank pressure; gimbaled rocket engines; a detachable warhead section; and nearly single-stage to orbit performance through the ‘stage-and-a-half’ approach of jettisoning the booster engines during the ascent. On 19 April Convair received a contract for $1,893,000 to fabricate and test ten MX-774 Hiroc missiles to verify Bossart’s innovative ballistic missile concepts. Captive testing of the MX-774 research rockets began in San Diego in 1947. In June, Consolidated Vultee was notified that it had lost the cruise missile competition; Northrop and Martin received contracts for development of their subsonic jet-powered cruise missile designs. Defense cutbacks forced the Air Force to terminate the MX-774 contract in July 1947, only three months before the first scheduled flight. The remaining contract funds allowed three MX-774's to be test-launched at White Sands Proving Ground in July-December 1947. Further work at Convair was reduced to ‘Mafia’ low-level design activity using company funds. The outbreak of the Korean war and the beginning of the cold war loosened the federal purse strings. Convair received a new contract (MX-1593) in September 1951 to begin design of a ballistic missile incorporating the design features validated by the MX-774. In 1953 the now-Convair Division of General Dynamics presented a plan to the Air Force for an accelerated program. A major propulsion problem in the early 1950's was that liquid rocket motor ignition reliability was less than 50 percent. This led to the stage-and-a-half concept, with all engines ignited prior to lift-off and the booster engines jettisoned during flight. This allowed confirmation that all engines were functioning correctly before releasing the missile for flight. A full go-ahead for the Atlas design was ordered in January 1955 as Weapon System WS107A-l. At Convair the project was known the Model 7 (in Russia, Korolev was working on the competing R-7 ICBM - evidently both sides wanted to use the lucky number). In September 1955, faced with intelligence reports of Russian progress on their ICBM, the Atlas received the highest national development priority. The project became one of the largest and most complex production, testing, and construction programs ever undertaken. The first propulsion system and component tests were conducted in June 1956; the first captive and flight-test missiles were completed later the same year. The first Atlas A flight took place on 11 June 1957. In a tremendous national effort, by 1959 a peak of 33,000 personnel were working on the project. Total cost of the Atlas ICBM program to the United States was $8 billion. About a quarter of this went to Convair to design and develop the missile and launch facilities. The balance was for the tremendous cost of the ICBM launch facilities. For all of this effort, the Atlas was quickly obsolete, and the facilities were closed by 1966 after five years of service. However surplus ICBM's were stored, refurbished, and used as space launch vehicles until the last was flown in 1995 - 33 years after it was manufactured. The first operational missile, the Atlas D, was the basis for launching the Mercury manned spacecraft into orbit. By use of Agena and Centaur upper stages, the Atlas became the medium-lift workhorse of American manned, reconnaissance, planetary, and geosynchronous-orbit space programs. After the retirement of the Atlas-Agena in 1978, the Centaur stage became standard on Atlas launch vehicles. Centaur began with a contract awarded to General Dynamics by the Advanced Research Project Agency in 1958. The first space vehicle to use liquid hydrogen, Centaur was a pioneering project that solved the many technical problems of using the super-cryogenic and highly volatile fuel. Pratt & Whitney Aircraft was awarded the contract to develop Centaur's RL-10 engines. The US Air Force had already built the first large-quantity liquid hydrogen production facility for the deep black Suntan reconnaissance program. In 1962, with the hydrogen propulsion technology being vital to the success of the Apollo program, Centaur management was transferred to NASA's Lewis Research Center. Lewis had fired their first experimental Lox/LH2 engine of 5,000 pounds thrust in 1953. The Centaur project was given the highest DX priority, but suffered delays due to management problems at both NASA and Convair. The first successful flight of Centaur atop Atlas occurred in November 1963. However thereafter von Braun's Saturn S-IV stage, using six of the RL-10 motors, leapfrogged the Centaur program . By the time of the first operational Centaur mission in May 1966, the S-IV had already completed its test series of six orbital flights. Yet thirty years later, the Saturn was long gone, and the Centaur continued, having been launched or planned for launch from Atlas, Titan, Delta, and Shuttle vehicles. Production continued into the 21st century, and no replacement for the RL-10 engine, the ultimate engine using the ultimate propellants, was ever put into production. Manufacturer: Convair. Launches: 585. Failures: 120. Success Rate: 79.49%. First Launch Date: 1948-07-14. Last Launch Date: 2004-08-31. Launch data is: complete. Development Cost $: 2,230.000 million. in: 1965 average dollars. Recurring Price $: 8.309 million. Flyaway Unit Cost $: 1.800 million. in: 1965 unit dollars. Cost comments: Development cost and flyaway cost total for Atlas A through F (ICBM's).
Version: MX-774.
Project MX-774 inaugurated by AAF with Consolidated-Vultee to study rocket capabilities with an ICBM as a final objective. Limited funds permitted a few test launches. These rockets demonstrated technologies that woud later be applied to the Atlas. The Air Force contracted for ten MX-774 vehicles, in three phases. Stage A, the Teetotaler, was a sub-sonic, self-guided cruise missile. Stage B, the Old Fashioned, was a test missile using V-2 technology but incorporating new concepts planned for the next phase. Stage C, the Manhattan, was to be an ICBM. The MX-774 was cancelled by the Air Force in 1947 due to budget restrictions and continued Air Force scepticism. Using residual contract and corporate funds, Bossart was able to launch three stage B test vehicles from White Sands after the cancellation. While none of the launches were completely successful, they did demonstrate Bossart’s innovative design concepts including pressurized monocoque propellant tanks. Despite the heavy investment of company funds, the Air Force later directed Bossart to sell the MX-774 development package to TRW for a song. TRW in turn delivered it, in total, to Douglas and Martin to assist them in design of their competing Thor and Titan missiles. There were many hard feelings at Convair about that. Launches: 3. Failures: 3. First Launch Date: 1948-07-14. Last Launch Date: 1948-12-02. Apogee: 50 km (31 mi). Liftoff Thrust: 35.000 kN (7,868 lbf). Total Mass: 1,300 kg (2,800 lb). Core Diameter: 0.76 m (2.49 ft). Total Length: 9.60 m (31.40 ft).
Concept ICBM. Status: Concept 1951. The January 1951 design for the Atlas used seven main engines plus two vernier engines to hurl the 3600 kg nuclear warhead over a 9300 km range. CEP was optimistically estimated as 460 m.
Core Diameter: 3.66 m (12.00 ft). Total Length: 43.00 m (141.00 ft). Standard warhead mass: 3,600 kg (7,900 lb). Maximum range: 9,300 km (5,700 mi). Standard warhead CEP: 0.46 km (0.28 mi).
Version: MX-1593.
The September 1951 design for the Atlas used seven main engines to hurl the 3600 kg nuclear warhead over a 9300 km range. CEP was 1850 m.
Core Diameter: 3.66 m (12.00 ft). Total Length: 37.00 m (121.00 ft). Standard warhead mass: 3,600 kg (7,900 lb). Maximum range: 9,300 km (5,700 mi). Standard warhead CEP: 1.85 km (1.14 mi).
Version: Proposed Atlas.
The April 1953 design for the Atlas at the time of Convair's proposal used five main engines to power a 200 metric tone rocket able to send a 1400 kg nuclear warhead over a 10,200 km range. CEP was 1850 m.
Total Mass: 200,000 kg (440,000 lb). Core Diameter: 3.66 m (12.00 ft). Total Length: 34.00 m (111.00 ft). Standard warhead mass: 1,360 kg (2,990 lb). Maximum range: 10,200 km (6,300 mi). Standard warhead CEP: 0.46 km (0.28 mi).
Version: Contracted Atlas.
The 1954 design for the Atlas as contracted for by the Air Force used three main engines to power a 110 metric ton rocket able to send a 1400 kg nuclear warhead over a 10,200 km range. CEP was 3700 m. The missile actually delivered six years later would have the same dimensions and launch mass, but 63% more range and four times better accuracy.
Total Mass: 109,000 kg (240,000 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 23.00 m (75.00 ft). Standard warhead mass: 1,360 kg (2,990 lb). Maximum range: 10,200 km (6,300 mi). Standard warhead CEP: 3.70 km (2.20 mi).
Version: Atlas A.
First test model of Atlas ICBM. Two booster engines, no sustainer, dummy warhead. 50% reliability in 8 flight tests. Historical Essay © Andreas Parsch Convair B-65/SM-65/CGM-16/HGM-16 Atlas The Atlas was the first Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) deployed by the USA. Its descendents are still in use today as civilian and military space launch vehicles. The Atlas development can be traced back to the days immediately after World War II, when captured German rocket and missile technology supported many new missile research studies. In April 1946, Consolidated-Vultee (later Convair) began project MX-774 to study long-range ballistic missiles. The studies led to a test rocket, designated RTV-A-2 Hiroc, which was to pioneer several new design techniques which would later be used in the Atlas. The Hiroc featured a gimballed rocket nozzle to steer the vehicle by thrust-vectoring instead of weight- and drag-increasing control fins, and had a separable nose cone for the payload. The most radical feature of the RTV-A-2 was its internal pressure stabilized flight structure. The missile's skin was very thin, and was inflated by internal pressure like a balloon. This significantly reduced the empty weight of the vehicle. However, it also made the missile rather fragile, because a single hole in the skin would lead to the collapse of the whole structure, just like a limp balloon. Because limited funding allowed only to pursue the most promising missile projects, and long-range ballistic missiles were deemed to be too far in the future, MX-774 was cancelled in June 1947. However, Convair was allowed to complete three Hiroc vehicles, and the first of these flew in July 1948. All three flights were only partially successful but helped a lot to validate the new design concepts. After the cancellation of MX-774, Convair continued low-key internal studies on ballistic missiles, developing the idea of the "one and one half" stage rocket. In this type of design, both booster and sustainer engine(s) would ignite at lift-off, and the boosters would be dropped later in the flight. This circumvented the difficulty of having to ignite the sustainer at high altitude, which was then considered a potential problem. When military funding sharply increased after outbreak of the Korean War, Convair was awarded a contract for the long-range ballistic missile project MX-1593 in January 1951. Later in 1951, the USAF decided to assign aircraft-like designations to its guided missiles, and the designation B-65 was assigned to the MX-1593 missile (named Atlas by this time). In 1953 Convair had completed the initial design studies. The Atlas was to be a huge 27 m (90 ft) long, 3.6 m (12 ft) wide rocket, with five engines producting 2700+ kN (600000+ lb) of total thrust. The size was deemed necessary to launch the expected very heavy (65 ton) thermonuclear warhead to intercontinental range. Because of the limited accuracy of then available intercontinental guidance systems, a megaton-class thermonuclear warhead was necessary for the Atlas to be effective against hardened targets. A ten-year development program was approved, with an initial operational deployment planned for 1963. To minimize risk, it was decided to develop a single-engine test vehicle first, designated X-11, followed by a three-engine X-12 test vehicle and an XB-65 five-engine strategic missile prototype. In 1954, the H-bomb tests in the Pacific showed that the warhead for the Atlas could be made significantly smaller and lighter than expected. Therefore, the five-engine XB-65 design was cancelled and replaced by a much smaller three-engine design. The booster engines were North American (Rocketdyne) LR89, and the sustainer engine was a Rocketdyne LR105 enigne, both fueled with RP-1 (kerosene) and liquid oxygen. Two small Rocketdyne LR101 vernier engines were used for fine-tuning thrust and directional control. The whole Atlas propulsion system was known as MA-2. In 1955, in the light of discovering Russian ICBM activities, the Atlas development was accelerated, and it was approved to flight test preliminary prototype models which lacked some feartures of the planned production missile. The XB-65A Atlas A had only booster engines, and a dummy warhead. In August 1955, the USAF dropped all aircraft-like designations for guided missiles, and the Atlas became the SM-65. On 11 June 1957 the first attempt to fly an XSM-65A was made, but due to a booster malfunction the missile had to be destroyed a few seconds after lift-off. The first successful Atlas A flight to the full range of 1100 km (600 nm) was the third one, on 17 December 1957. Atlas A testing was completed in June 1958. Launches: 8. Failures: 5. First Launch Date: 1957-06-11. Last Launch Date: 1958-06-03. Apogee: 120 km (70 mi). Liftoff Thrust: 1,334.500 kN (300,008 lbf). Total Mass: 81,647 kg (180,000 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 28.00 m (91.00 ft). Maximum range: 900 km (550 mi).
Atlas B.
First all-up test version of the Atlas ICBM, with jettisonable booster engines and a single engine sustainer on core - a '1 1/2' stage launch vehicle.
Launches: 10. Failures: 3. First Launch Date: 1958-07-19. Last Launch Date: 1959-02-04. LEO Payload: 70 kg (154 lb). to: 185 km Orbit. at: 32.00 degrees. Apogee: 900 km (550 mi). Associated Spacecraft: Score. Liftoff Thrust: 1,587.200 kN (356,817 lbf). Total Mass: 110,740 kg (244,130 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 26.00 m (85.00 ft). Maximum range: 6,000 km (3,700 mi). Flyaway Unit Cost $: 14.210 million. in: 1985 unit dollars.
Atlas C.
Last development version of Atlas. Never deployed operationally or used for space launches. Historical Essay © Andreas Parsch The XSM-65C Atlas C, flown between December 1958 and August 1959, tested the thin-skinned fuel tanks and the radio-command guidance in production configuration. Launches: 6. Failures: 2. First Launch Date: 1958-12-24. Last Launch Date: 1959-08-24. LEO Payload: 70 kg (154 lb). to: 185 km Orbit. at: 32.00 degrees. Apogee: 900 km (550 mi). Liftoff Thrust: 1,587.200 kN (356,817 lbf). Total Mass: 110,740 kg (244,130 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 25.15 m (82.51 ft). Span: 4.88 m (16.01 ft). Maximum range: 8,000 km (4,900 mi). Number Standard Warheads: 1. Standard RV: Mk. 2/3. Standard warhead: W49. Standard warhead yield: 1,440 KT. Standard warhead CEP: 3.23 km (2.00 mi). Boost Propulsion: Liquid rocket, Lox/Kerosene. Guidance: Inertial. Maximum speed: 29,030 kph (18,030 mph). Ceiling: 1,287,800 m (4,225,000 ft). Total Number Built: 381. Total Development Built: 18. Total Production Built: 343.
World Series.
In May 1956 the Air Force proposed mating an Atlas A with an Aerobee-Hi upper stage in order to launch a satellite during the International Geophysical Year (1957-1958). The Eisenhower administration selected the Vanguard instead. After Sputnik, an Atlas B with no upper stage orbited the Score satellite as a reply to the Soviet's Sputnik 3. Beginning in 1954 the Army and Navy began advocating using modifications of their short-range rockets equipped with multiple upper stages to launch the first satellite into space during the 1957 International Geophysical Year. However a more reasonable and capable alternative would be to use the planned Atlas ICBM for the mission. The Air Force's General Bernard Schriever was in charge of the crash program to develop the Atlas ICBM, and was reluctant to lose a single month of schedule in order to pursue the peripheral scientific mission. The Eisenhower administration appointed the Stewart Committee on 26 May 1955 to select the best course of action. Goaded by interservice rivalry, the Air Force proposed its "World Series" launcher for the task in June 1955. This consisted of the Atlas A two-engined prototype of the missile topped with an Aerobee-Hi sounding rocket as a second stage. It was capable of putting a nominal payload (around 50 kg) into low earth orbit. During the Committee's evaluation process, they visited Schriever's Western Development Division and received briefings on the status of the Atlas program. The Air Force took pains to point out the likelihood of delays in the highest-priority Atlas ICBM program if they were tasked to launch a scientific satellite as well. They seem not to have even mentioned the Atlas-boosted but deep black Corona spy satellite program. Evidently outside knowledge or interference in this was not desirable. In August 1955 the Stewart Committee, having taken on the Pentagon's desire for the IGY effort not to affect either the Air Force Atlas ICBM or Army Jupiter IRBM programs, selected the Navy's Vanguard as the IGY satellite booster. Convair, however, saw a bright future for their Atlas rocket as a space launch vehicle. They made an unsolicited proposal before the Stewart Committee decision to the Air Force to use the three-engined Atlas C as an Orbital Research and Test Vehicle. This would boost a 230 kg satellite into orbit without the need for an upper stage. Nothing came of this proposal immediately. In January 1956 the Air Force would begin study of a scientific version of the Corona reconnaissance satellite, boosted by an Atlas Agena two-stage booster. This could provide a US capability for launching a 1600 kg scientific satellite into orbit, as a follow-on to Vanguard. It also would provide cover for launches under the secret Corona program. This was shelved at the time but would become reality as the "Discoverer" program, a cover for early the Corona satellites. On 1 February 1957 Air Force headquarters asked Schriever to provide a plan to fly a back-up scientific satellite for during the International Geophysical Year, in case Vanguard failed. The reply came a week later. $91 million would be required. But Atlas development was such that no launchings could be guaranteed before mid-1959. It was however possible, best case, that one or two launchings could be managed before the end of the IGY in 1958. The Air Force declined to spend the money. The Soviet launch of Sputnik 1 in October 1957 had a political impact far beyond the loss of a few months in the Atlas operational date. Vanguard did indeed fail, and another Vanguard competitor, the Army's Redstone, managed to orbit a tiny satellite in January 1958. The Soviets launched the massive 1327-kg Sputnik 3 in May 1957, again humbling the Americans. The Convair Orbital Research and Test Vehicle concept was resurrected as Project Score, and Schriever was given funds to launch a satellite using an Atlas as soon as possible. A three-engined Atlas B launched the Score satellite into orbit in December 1958, doing something to restore US prestige. It remained attached to the Atlas, allowing the Americans to claim they had orbited a 4 metric ton satellite, although all but 70 kg of that was the Atlas itself. LEO Payload: 50 kg (110 lb). to: 300 km Orbit. at: 28.00 degrees. Liftoff Thrust: 1,334.500 kN (300,008 lbf). Total Mass: 82,500 kg (181,800 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 35.00 m (114.00 ft).
Version: Atlas D.
Rocket used both as a space launcher and ICBM. Historical Essay © Andreas Parsch In July 1959, the XSM-65D prototype of the initial production variant, the Atlas D, first flew. On 31 October 1959, the first U.S. Air Force ICBM squadron went on Combat Alert at Vandenberg AFB, with 3 SM-65D missiles on unprotected open launch pads. To give the Atlas at least some sort of protection, the follow-on bases were equipped with "coffins" to store the missiles. This coffin was a blast-protected building in which the Atlas was stored horizontally. Following the launch order, the roof of the coffin would slide away, the missile raised to the vertical, ready for fueling and launching. The Atlas ICBM had several significant operational shortcomings. It had to be fueled immediately before launch, leading to a high reaction time (about 15 minutes) after launch order. The fueling was also a very dangerous process which lead to several heavy explosions during operational tests. The radio-command/inertial guidance system of the Atlas D was susceptible to jamming and restricted the launch frequency of an Atlas D squadron to one missile every 5 minutes. The SM-65D used either Mk.2 or Mk.3 blunt reentry vehicles. There was also an unarmed training version of the SM-65D, designated USM-65D. Launches: 135. Failures: 32. Success Rate: 76.30%. First Launch Date: 1959-04-14. Last Launch Date: 1967-11-07. LEO Payload: 1,400 kg (3,000 lb). to: 300 km Orbit. at: 28.00 degrees. Associated Spacecraft: Mercury, OV1, Project 7969, Outpost, McDonnell Project 7969, Project Mer, FIRE. Liftoff Thrust: 1,629.000 kN (366,213 lbf). Total Mass: 119,000 kg (262,000 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 25.15 m (82.51 ft). Span: 4.88 m (16.01 ft).
LV-3B. Status: Out of production. Department of Defence Designation: LV-3B. First operational version of Atlas ICBM and used as launch vehicle for Project Mercury.
LEO Payload: 1,360 kg (2,990 lb). to: 185 km Orbit. at: 28.00 degrees. Apogee: 1,855 km (1,152 mi). Liftoff Thrust: 1,587.200 kN (356,817 lbf). Total Mass: 117,730 kg (259,550 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 25.00 m (82.00 ft). Maximum range: 13,000 km (8,000 mi). Flyaway Unit Cost $: 14.210 million. in: 1985 unit dollars.
Version: Atlas LV-3B / Mercury.
Atlas D modified for use in Project Mercury.
LEO Payload: 1,360 kg (2,990 lb). to: 185 km Orbit. at: 28.00 degrees. Associated Spacecraft: Mercury. Liftoff Thrust: 1,587.190 kN (356,815 lbf). Total Mass: 116,100 kg (255,900 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 25.00 m (82.00 ft).
Atlas E.
Initial fully operational version of Atlas ICBM. Differed in guidance system from Atlas F. Deployed as missiles from 1960 to 1966. After retirement, the ICBM's were refurbished and used over twenty years as space launch vehicles. Historical Essay © Andreas Parsch The SM-65E Atlas E was an improved SM-65D. It used a more accurate Mk.4 reentry vehicle, had an improved propulsion system (designated MA-3), and used an all-inertial guidance system developed by Bosch Arma, which was originally planned for the HGM-25A Titan I. With this navigation system, located in the distinctive large bulge on the side of the missile, the Atlas E could reach an accuracy of about 600 m (2000 ft) CEP. Component testing on modified Atlas D missiles began in March 1960, and in February 1961 the first full Atlas E flight occurred. The SM-65E became operational in September 1961. Because the all-inertial guidance system did away with the necessity to launch the missile close to the launch control center of the base, the Atlas E was deployed in widely dispersed patterns. Adding also new semi-buried coffins, the Atlas E was significantly better (but still not satisfactorily) protected against a preemptive strike than the D model. The USM-65E was the unarmed training version of the Atlas E. The vehicles converted for space launch use and launched from Vandenberg AFB used a radio guidance system that was based on a modification of the General Electric Radio Tracking System (GERTS), originally employed on the Atlas D. In fact, the GERTS guidance used for space launch employed one of the original radar stations used for the Atlas D and even used some actual Atlas D components in its Pulse Beacon Decoder, the vehicle's X-band radio transponder. Newer solid state computers were used to run the guidance software and were interfaced with the radar; eventually they were made redundant, although with a human operator charged with detecting failure. The large Bosch-Arma pod on the side of the Atlas E and F space boosters launched from Vandenberg AFB from the mid-70's to the mid-90's was in fact empty. It was not removed and replaced with a more streamlined fairing since that would have cost money and gained no significant performance. So, the Atlas E and F space boosters used Atlas E and F ICBM airframes and engines with the tanks modified with a new payload interface section, a mixture of Atlas E and F components (selected based on which designs were most suitable for the space launch mission) and a modified Atlas D radio guidance system. GERTS was a complex, glitch-prone system, its only saving graces being that it was both the cheapest guidance system around and the most reliable, operating for almost 30 years without one flight failure and at a per-flight cost an order of magnitude below that of an inertial guidance system. Prior to Apollo-Saturn, all U.S. manned orbital flights used GERTS, both on the Mercury-Atlas D and the Gemini-Titan II missions. The proper way to refer to the space booster Atlas E's and F's was "Atlas E/F Space Booster," because of the mix of configuration features. Of course, individually the boosters were referred to by their "Tail Numbers" such as 19F, 76E, 68E, etc. The total launched cost of an Atlas E/F space booster was about $15M - or less than 1/3 the cost of a Titan II space booster, and less than 1/20th what was finally admitted as the cost of a single Space Shuttle mission. About 35 unmodified Atlas E/F missiles in storage at Norton AFB were scrapped in the early 1970's. The Space Shuttle was coming and it was assumed that they were not needed. The cost of maintaining them in storage was "horrendous" - about $2000 each per year. At least a half billion dollars worth of perfectly usable, incredibly cheap space boosters (equivalent to a couple of billon dollars in replacement costs) were run over with a bulldozer in order to save perhaps one million dollars in storage costs overtwenty years . The Air Force officer who recommended this travesty of planning received a medal for his farsightedness. Launches: 48. Failures: 15. Success Rate: 68.75%. First Launch Date: 1960-10-11. Last Launch Date: 1995-03-24. LEO Payload: 820 kg (1,800 lb). to: 185 km Orbit. at: 90.00 degrees. Associated Spacecraft: Advanced Tiros N, DMSP Block 5D-2, Geosat, GPS Block 1, LIPS, NOSS, POGS, Tiros N. Liftoff Thrust: 1,713.800 kN (385,278 lbf). Total Mass: 121,000 kg (266,000 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 28.10 m (92.10 ft). Launch Price $: 50.000 million. in: 1994 price dollars. Flyaway Unit Cost $: 11.000 million. in: 1985 unit dollars.
CGM-16E. Intercontinental ballistic missile. IOC: 1960. Department of Defence Designation: CGM-16E. Popular Name: Atlas E. Alternate Designation: SM-65E. ICBM version
Total Mass: 120,000 kg (260,000 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 25.15 m (82.51 ft). Span: 4.88 m (16.01 ft). Standard warhead mass: 2,500 kg (5,500 lb). Maximum range: 12,100 km (7,500 mi). Number Standard Warheads: 1. Standard RV: Mk. 4. Standard warhead: W38. Standard warhead yield: 3,750 KT. Standard warhead CEP: 3.23 km (2.00 mi). Boost Propulsion: Liquid rocket, Lox/Kerosene. Guidance: Inertial. Maximum speed: 29,030 kph (18,030 mph). Ceiling: 1,287,800 m (4,225,000 ft). Total Number Built: 381. Total Development Built: 18. Total Production Built: 343.
Atlas Burner 2. Atlas SLV-3 + 1 x Star 37B upper stage.
Launches: 1. Failures: 1. First Launch Date: 1968-08-16. Last Launch Date: 1968-08-16. Apogee: 800 km (490 mi). Liftoff Thrust: 1,700.000 kN (382,100 lbf). Total Mass: 130,000 kg (280,000 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 28.90 m (94.80 ft).
Atlas Burner 2A. Atlas F + 1 x Star 37B + 1 x Star 26B upper stages.
Launches: 1. First Launch Date: 1972-10-02. Last Launch Date: 1972-10-02. Apogee: 800 km (490 mi). Liftoff Thrust: 1,700.000 kN (382,100 lbf). Total Mass: 130,000 kg (280,000 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 30.00 m (98.00 ft).
Atlas E/Trident. Atlas E + 1 x Trident upper stage.
Launches: 2. First Launch Date: 1968-03-06. Last Launch Date: 1968-04-27. Apogee: 1,500 km (900 mi). Liftoff Thrust: 1,731.000 kN (389,144 lbf). Total Mass: 130,000 kg (280,000 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 25.00 m (82.00 ft).
Atlas E/MSD. Atlas E + 1 x MSD upper stage.
Launches: 1. Failures: 1. First Launch Date: 1980-12-09. Last Launch Date: 1980-12-09. Apogee: 1,100 km (600 mi). Liftoff Thrust: 1,731.000 kN (389,144 lbf). Total Mass: 122,000 kg (268,000 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 27.30 m (89.50 ft).
Atlas E/SVS. Atlas E + 1 x Star 37E + 1 x Star 37E upper stages.
Launches: 1. Failures: 1. First Launch Date: 1981-12-19. Last Launch Date: 1981-12-19. Apogee: 20,000 km (12,000 mi). Liftoff Thrust: 1,731.000 kN (389,144 lbf). Total Mass: 125,000 kg (275,000 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 29.20 m (95.80 ft).
Atlas E/SGS-2. Atlas E + 1 x Star 48 + 1 x Star 48 upper stages.
Launches: 4. First Launch Date: 1983-07-14. Last Launch Date: 1985-10-09. Apogee: 20,000 km (12,000 mi). Liftoff Thrust: 1,731.000 kN (389,144 lbf). Total Mass: 125,000 kg (275,000 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 32.10 m (105.30 ft).
Atlas E/OIS. Atlas E + 1 x OIS upper stage.
Launches: 1. First Launch Date: 1985-03-13. Last Launch Date: 1985-03-13. Apogee: 800 km (490 mi). Liftoff Thrust: 1,731.000 kN (389,144 lbf). Total Mass: 120,000 kg (260,000 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 28.70 m (94.10 ft).
Atlas E Altair. Atlas E + 1 x Star 20 upper stage.
Launches: 1. First Launch Date: 1990-04-11. Last Launch Date: 1990-04-11. Apogee: 1,000 km (600 mi). Liftoff Thrust: 1,731.000 kN (389,144 lbf). Total Mass: 125,000 kg (275,000 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 27.30 m (89.50 ft).
Atlas F.
Final operational version of Atlas ICBM. Differed in guidance systems. Deployed as missiles from 1961 to 1966. After retirement, the ICBM's were refurbished and used for over thirty years as space launch vehicles. Historical Essay © Andreas Parsch Because even the dispersed storage and semi-buried coffins of the Atlas E offered insufficient protection, the USAF decided already in 1959 to deploy Atlas missiles in underground silos, just like the HGM-25A Titan I. This resulted in the SM-65F Atlas F missile, which was essentially an SM-65E with a modified fueling system to accomodate the new silo launcher. The first silo-stored Atlas F squadron became operational in November 1962. Because the SM-65F could be fueled while still in the silo, launch survivability was much improved. After fueling, it took only two minutes to raise and launch the missile. In a crisis, it was even possible to store the SM-65F fully fueled in the silo for some length of time, which lead to a reaction time of only five minutes. However, fueling in the silo was even more dangerous than in the open, and four Atlas Fs violently exploded during this operation, destroying their silos. In June 1963, the existing Atlas missiles were redesignated in the xGM-16 series as follows:
There are also sources which claim that the SM-65Ds based on unprotected pads at Vandenberg AFB were redesignated as PGM-16D. While this would be logical, the PGM-16D designation was apparently never officially allocated. Also, reports claiming that XPGM-16A, XPGM-16B, and XPGM-16C were the new designations for XSM-65A, XSM-65B, and XSM-65C, respectively, are in error, because all three development models had long been expended by 1963. While the 1963 redesignations did include some "paper" designations of retired or cancelled missiles, this was not true for the Atlas series. After the LGM-30 Minuteman had become operational in early 1963, the Atlas became rapidly obsolete. By October 1964, all Atlas D missiles had been phased out, followed by the Atlas E/F in April 1965. About 350 Atlas ICBMs of all versions were built, with a peak deployment level of 129 (30 D, 27 E, 72 F). The Atlas was used as a space launch vehicle since the very beginning of the program, and Atlas developments are still used in this role in the 21st century. Converted ICBMs and early purpose-built space launchers, usually with additional upper stages, were used by the USAF under the basic SLV-3 designator. In 1990, the Atlas E, Atlas II and Atlas IIA/AS vehicles received the official military designations SB-1A, SB-2A and SB-2B, respectively. Current prime contractor for all Atlas rockets is Lockheed-Martin. SpecificationsNote: Data given by several sources show slight variations. Figures given below may therefore be inaccurate! Data for CGM-16D/E and HGM-16F:
[1] James N. Gibson: "Nuclear Weapons of the United States", Schiffer Publishing Ltd, 1996 The vehicles converted for space launch use and launched from Vandenberg AFB used a radio guidance system that was based on a modification of the General Electric Radio Tracking System (GERTS), originally employed on the Atlas D. In fact, the GERTS guidance used for space launch employed one of the original radar stations used for the Atlas D and even used some actual Atlas D components in its Pulse Beacon Decoder, the vehicle's X-band radio transponder. Newer solid state computers were used to run the guidance software and were interfaced with the radar; eventually they were made redundant, although with a human operator charged with detecting failure. The large Bosch-Arma pod on the side of the Atlas E and F space boosters launched from Vandenberg AFB from the mid-70's to the mid-90's was in fact empty. It was not removed and replaced with a more streamlined fairing since that would have cost money and gained no significant performance. So, the Atlas E and F space boosters used Atlas E and F ICBM airframes and engines with the tanks modified with a new payload interface section, a mixture of Atlas E and F components (selected based on which designs were most suitable for the space launch mission) and a modified Atlas D radio guidance system. GERTS was a complex, glitch-prone system, its only saving graces being that it was both the cheapest guidance system around and the most reliable, operating for almost 30 years without one flight failure and at a per-flight cost an order of magnitude below that of an inertial guidance system. Prior to Apollo-Saturn, all U.S. manned orbital flights used GERTS, both on the Mercury-Atlas D and the Gemini-Titan II missions. The proper way to refer to the space booster Atlas E's and F's was "Atlas E/F Space Booster," because of the mix of configuration features. Of course, individually the boosters were referred to by their "Tail Numbers" such as 19F, 76E, 68E, etc. The total launched cost of an Atlas E/F space booster was about $15M - or less than 1/3 the cost of a Titan II space booster, and less than 1/20th what was finally admitted as the cost of a single Space Shuttle mission. About 35 unmodified Atlas E/F missiles in storage at Norton AFB were scrapped in the early 1970's. The Space Shuttle was coming and it was assumed that they were not needed. The cost of maintaining them in storage was "horrendous" - about $2000 each per year. At least a half billion dollars worth of perfectly usable, incredibly cheap space boosters (equivalent to a couple of billon dollars in replacement costs) were run over with a bulldozer in order to save perhaps one million dollars in storage costs overtwenty years . The Air Force officer who recommended this travesty of planning received a medal for his farsightedness. Launches: 70. Failures: 17. Success Rate: 75.71%. First Launch Date: 1961-08-09. Last Launch Date: 1981-06-23. LEO Payload: 820 kg (1,800 lb). to: 185 km Orbit. at: 90.00 degrees. Associated Spacecraft: Calsphere, Cannonball, GPS Block 1, Gridsphere, LCS, Musketball, Mylar, NOSS, NOSS-Subsat, NTS, Orbiscal, OV1, OV5, P 72, RADCAT, Radsat, Rigidsphere, RM, Seasat, Solwind, Tiros N, Boost Glide Re-entry Vehicle. Liftoff Thrust: 1,713.800 kN (385,278 lbf). Total Mass: 121,980 kg (268,910 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 24.00 m (78.00 ft). Launch Price $: 50.000 million. in: 1994 price dollars. Flyaway Unit Cost $: 11.000 million. in: 1985 unit dollars.
HGM-16F. Intercontinental ballistic missile. IOC: 1960. Department of Defence Designation: CGM-16F. Popular Name: Atlas F. Alternate Designation: SM-65F. ICBM version. Also CGM-16F
Total Mass: 120,000 kg (260,000 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 25.15 m (82.51 ft). Span: 4.88 m (16.01 ft). Standard warhead mass: 2,500 kg (5,500 lb). Maximum range: 12,100 km (7,500 mi). Number Standard Warheads: 1. Standard RV: Mk. 4. Standard warhead: W38. Standard warhead yield: 3,750 KT. Standard warhead CEP: 3.23 km (2.00 mi). Boost Propulsion: Liquid rocket, Lox/Kerosene. Guidance: Inertial. Maximum speed: 29,030 kph (18,030 mph). Ceiling: 1,287,800 m (4,225,000 ft). Total Number Built: 381. Total Development Built: 18. Total Production Built: 343.
Atlas F/Trident. Atlas F + 1 x Trident upper stage.
Launches: 17. Failures: 3. First Launch Date: 1967-06-09. Last Launch Date: 1971-06-29. Apogee: 1,500 km (900 mi). Liftoff Thrust: 1,731.000 kN (389,144 lbf). Total Mass: 130,000 kg (280,000 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 25.00 m (82.00 ft).
Atlas F/PTS. Atlas F + 1 x Star 37E upper stage.
Launches: 1. First Launch Date: 1974-07-14. Last Launch Date: 1974-07-14. LEO Payload: 295 kg (650 lb). Payload: 295 kg (650 lb). to a: geosynchronous transfer orbit trajectory. Liftoff Thrust: 1,731.000 kN (389,144 lbf). Total Mass: 125,000 kg (275,000 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 29.20 m (95.80 ft).
Atlas F/MSD. Atlas F + 1 x MSD upper stage.
Launches: 3. First Launch Date: 1976-04-30. Last Launch Date: 1980-03-03. Apogee: 1,100 km (600 mi). Liftoff Thrust: 1,731.000 kN (389,144 lbf). Total Mass: 122,000 kg (268,000 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 27.30 m (89.50 ft).
Atlas F/SVS. Atlas F + 1 x Star 37E + 1 x Star 37E upper stages.
Launches: 6. First Launch Date: 1978-02-22. Last Launch Date: 1980-04-26. Apogee: 20,000 km (12,000 mi). Liftoff Thrust: 1,731.000 kN (389,144 lbf). Total Mass: 125,000 kg (275,000 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 29.20 m (95.80 ft).
Atlas F/OIS. Atlas F + 1 x OIS upper stage.
Launches: 1. First Launch Date: 1979-02-24. Last Launch Date: 1979-02-24. Apogee: 550 km (340 mi). Liftoff Thrust: 1,731.000 kN (389,144 lbf). Total Mass: 120,000 kg (260,000 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 32.10 m (105.30 ft).
Atlas C Able. Version with Atlas C first stage, Able AJ10-101A second stage, Altair solid third stage.
Launches: 1. Failures: 1. First Launch Date: 1959-09-24. Last Launch Date: 1959-09-24. Apogee: 400,000 km (240,000 mi). Liftoff Thrust: 1,615.000 kN (363,066 lbf). Total Mass: 120,000 kg (260,000 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 28.00 m (91.00 ft).
Atlas Able.
Atlas with upper stage based on Vanguard second stage. Six additional Able stages were delivered in parallel with the first production contract for the Thor-Able, and these were modified for use on Atlas, but this was not a good match, and only five were flown. There were problems with the main missile structure while passing through the regime of maximum dynamic pressure, and damage to the second stage during separation. Launches: 4. Failures: 4. First Launch Date: 1959-11-26. Last Launch Date: 1960-12-15. Payload: 170 kg (370 lb). to a: translunar trajectory. Associated Spacecraft: Pioneer P 3. Liftoff Thrust: 1,587.200 kN (356,817 lbf). Total Mass: 120,051 kg (264,667 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 35.00 m (114.00 ft). Flyaway Unit Cost $: 18.810 million. in: 1985 unit dollars.
Atlas D Able. Version with Atlas D first stage, Able AJ10-101A second stage, Altair solid third stage.
Atlas SLV-3.
Standardized Atlas booster with no or small solid upper stage.
Launches: 4. First Launch Date: 1966-06-01. Last Launch Date: 1967-04-20. LEO Payload: 800 kg (1,760 lb). to: 300 km Orbit. at: 28.00 degrees. Apogee: 1,500 km (900 mi). Associated Spacecraft: Atlas Target Docking Adapter. Liftoff Thrust: 1,650.000 kN (370,930 lbf). Total Mass: 120,000 kg (260,000 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 21.00 m (68.00 ft).
Atlas Agena A.
Atlas D + 1 x Agena A upper stage. Agena originally called 'Hustler', based on engine for cancelled rocket-propelled nuclear warhead pod for B-58 Hustler bomber.
Launches: 4. Failures: 2. First Launch Date: 1960-02-26. Last Launch Date: 1961-01-31. Payload: 800 kg (1,760 lb). to a: Geosynchronous transfer trajectory. Apogee: 600 km (370 mi). Associated Spacecraft: Midas, Samos, Aeronutronics Project 7969, Lockheed Project 7969, Convair Project 7969. Liftoff Thrust: 1,587.190 kN (356,815 lbf). Total Mass: 123,990 kg (273,350 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 30.00 m (98.00 ft).
Atlas Agena B.
Atlas D with improved, enlarged Agena upper stage.
Launches: 28. Failures: 8. First Launch Date: 1961-07-12. Last Launch Date: 1965-03-21. Payload: 850 kg (1,870 lb). to a: Geosynchronous transfer trajectory. Apogee: 400,000 km (240,000 mi). Associated Spacecraft: Dash, ERS, Mariner 1-2, Midas, OGO, Ranger 1-2, Ranger 3-4-5, Ranger 6-7-8-9, Samos, TRS, WestFord Needles, Mariner R. Liftoff Thrust: 1,721.100 kN (386,919 lbf). Total Mass: 127,367 kg (280,796 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 33.00 m (108.00 ft).
SLV-3 Agena B. Department of Defence Designation: SLV-3. Standardized Atlas booster with Agena B upper stage.
Launches: 1. First Launch Date: 1966-06-07. Last Launch Date: 1966-06-07. Payload: 600 kg (1,320 lb). to a: 19,500 x 103,000 km orbit at 77.5 deg inclination trajectory. Apogee: 400,000 km (240,000 mi). Associated Spacecraft: OGO. Liftoff Thrust: 1,629.000 kN (366,213 lbf). Total Mass: 140,000 kg (300,000 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 32.10 m (105.30 ft).
Atlas Agena D.
Atlas D with further improved and lightened Agena upper stage.
Launches: 15. Failures: 1. First Launch Date: 1963-07-12. Last Launch Date: 1965-07-20. LEO Payload: 800 kg (1,760 lb). Payload: 1,000 kg (2,200 lb). to a: Geosynchronous transfer trajectory. Apogee: 400,000 km (240,000 mi). Associated Spacecraft: ERS, KH-7, Mariner 3-4, SSF, TRS, Vela, SAINT. Liftoff Thrust: 1,939.290 kN (435,970 lbf). Total Mass: 153,365 kg (338,111 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 35.00 m (114.00 ft).
SLV-3 Agena D.
Standardized Atlas booster with Agena D upper stage.
Launches: 48. Failures: 5. Success Rate: 89.58%. First Launch Date: 1964-08-14. Last Launch Date: 1967-11-05. LEO Payload: 2,000 kg (4,400 lb). to: 180 km Orbit. at: 108.00 degrees. Payload: 850 kg (1,870 lb). to a: geosynchronous transfer orbit trajectory. Apogee: 400,000 km (240,000 mi). Associated Spacecraft: ATS-1, ATS-2, ATS-3, Bluebell, ERS, Gemini Agena Target Vehicle, KH-7, Lunar Orbiter, Mariner 5, Midas, OAO, SECOR, Snapshot, SSF. Liftoff Thrust: 1,629.000 kN (366,213 lbf). Total Mass: 140,000 kg (300,000 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 32.10 m (105.30 ft).
SLV-3A Agena D.
Uprated Atlas booster with Agena D upper stage.
Launches: 12. Failures: 1. First Launch Date: 1968-03-04. Last Launch Date: 1978-04-07. LEO Payload: 1,000 kg (2,200 lb). Payload: 700 kg (1,540 lb). to a: Geosynchronous orbit trajectory. Associated Spacecraft: Canyon, OGO, Rhyolite. Liftoff Thrust: 1,700.000 kN (382,100 lbf). Total Mass: 155,000 kg (341,000 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 36.00 m (118.00 ft).
Atlas F/Agena D. Atlas F + 1 x Agena D upper stage.
Launches: 1. First Launch Date: 1978-06-27. Last Launch Date: 1978-06-27. Apogee: 1,000 km (600 mi). Liftoff Thrust: 1,731.000 kN (389,144 lbf). Total Mass: 130,000 kg (280,000 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 34.60 m (113.50 ft).
Atlas Vega.
Atlas-Vega consisted of an Atlas booster with a storable propellant upper stage. It was planned by NASA at its inception for deep space and planetary missions before the Atlas Centaur was available. Work had already begun when NASA discovered that the CIA and the US Air Force had an essentially identical launch vehicle (Atlas-Hustler, later called Atlas-Agena) in development for the highly classified Corona reconnaisance satellite program. Atlas-Vega was accordingly cancelled.
First test version of Atlas with Centaur upper stage.
Launches: 5. Failures: 3. First Launch Date: 1962-05-08. Last Launch Date: 1965-03-02. LEO Payload: 1,700 kg (3,700 lb). Payload: 1,800 kg (3,900 lb). to a: Geosynchronous transfer trajectory. Associated Spacecraft: Surveyor. Liftoff Thrust: 1,704.820 kN (383,259 lbf). Total Mass: 136,124 kg (300,102 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 33.00 m (108.00 ft).
Atlas Centaur LV-3C. Version with basic Centaur upper stage.
Payload: 1,700 kg (3,700 lb). to a: geosynchronous transfer orbit trajectory.
Atlas Centaur D. Version with Centaur D upper stage.
Launches: 7. Failures: 1. First Launch Date: 1965-08-11. Last Launch Date: 1967-07-14. LEO Payload: 1,700 kg (3,700 lb). Payload: 1,700 kg (3,700 lb). to a: geosynchronous transfer orbit trajectory. Total Mass: 136,100 kg (300,000 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 33.00 m (108.00 ft).
SLV-3C Centaur.
Standardised SLV-3C Atlas booster with Centaur D upper stage.
Launches: 17. Failures: 3. First Launch Date: 1967-09-08. Last Launch Date: 1972-08-21. LEO Payload: 1,800 kg (3,900 lb). Payload: 1,800 kg (3,900 lb). to a: Geosynchronous transfer trajectory. Apogee: 400,000 km (240,000 mi). Associated Spacecraft: ATS-4, ATS-5, Intelsat 4, Mariner 6-7, Mariner 8-9, OAO, Pioneer 10-11, Surveyor, Surveyor Lunar Rover, Surveyor Orbiter, Surveyor Block II. Liftoff Thrust: 1,939.290 kN (435,970 lbf). Total Mass: 148,404 kg (327,174 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 38.00 m (124.00 ft).
SLV-3D Centaur.
Fully developed version of Atlas with Centaur D-1A upper stage.
Launches: 32. Failures: 3. Success Rate: 90.63%. First Launch Date: 1973-04-06. Last Launch Date: 1983-05-19. LEO Payload: 1,900 kg (4,100 lb). Payload: 1,900 kg (4,100 lb). to a: Geosynchronous transfer trajectory. Apogee: 400,000 km (240,000 mi). Associated Spacecraft: Fltsatcom, HEAO, Intelsat 4, Intelsat 4A, Intelsat 5, Mariner 10, Pioneer 10-11, Pioneer 12, Pioneer 13. Liftoff Thrust: 1,939.290 kN (435,970 lbf). Total Mass: 148,404 kg (327,174 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 38.00 m (124.00 ft).
Atlas G Centaur.
Atlas-Centaur launch vehicles using stretched, uprated Atlas core.
Launches: 7. Failures: 2. First Launch Date: 1984-06-09. Last Launch Date: 1989-09-25. LEO Payload: 3,630 kg (8,000 lb). to: 185 km Orbit. Payload: 2,255 kg (4,971 lb). to a: Geosynchronous transfer trajectory. Apogee: 40,000 km (24,000 mi). Associated Spacecraft: Fltsatcom, Intelsat 5, Intelsat 5A. Liftoff Thrust: 1,939.300 kN (435,972 lbf). Total Mass: 166,140 kg (366,270 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 38.00 m (124.00 ft). Launch Price $: 75.000 million. in: 1994 price dollars. Flyaway Unit Cost $: 70.300 million. in: 1985 unit dollars.
Atlas H.
Atlas H used the Atlas first stage developed for the Atlas G vehicle. It was flown without the Centaur upper stage. The Atlas H vehicles launched from Vandenberg AFB used a radio guidance system that was based on a modification of the General Electric Radio Tracking System (GERTS), originally employed on the Atlas D. In fact, the GERTS guidance used for space launch employed one of the original radar stations used for the Atlas D and even used some actual Atlas D components in its Pulse Beacon Decoder, the vehicle's X-band radio transponder. Newer solid state computers were used to run the guidance software and were interfaced with the radar; eventually they were made redundant, although with a human operator charged with detecting failure. GERTS was a complex, glitch-prone system, its only saving graces being that it was both the cheapest guidance system around and the most reliable, operating for almost 30 years without one flight failure and at a per-flight cost an order of magnitude below that of an inertial guidance system. Launches: 5. First Launch Date: 1983-02-09. Last Launch Date: 1987-05-15. LEO Payload: 3,630 kg (8,000 lb). to: 185 km Orbit. Payload: 2,255 kg (4,971 lb). to a: Geosynchronous transfer trajectory. Apogee: 1,100 km (600 mi). Associated Spacecraft: LIPS, NOSS, NOSS-Subsat. Liftoff Thrust: 1,939.300 kN (435,972 lbf). Total Mass: 150,540 kg (331,880 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 27.00 m (88.00 ft). Launch Price $: 50.000 million. in: 1994 price dollars. Flyaway Unit Cost $: 50.000 million. in: 1985 unit dollars.
Atlas I.
The Atlas I launch vehicle was derived from the Atlas G, and included the same basic vehicle components (Atlas booster and Centaur upper stage). Significant improvements in the guidance and control system were made with an emphasis on replacing analog flight control components with digital units interconnected with a digital data bus. The first flight of an Atlas I was on July 25, 1990. Originally, 18 Atlas I vehicles were planned for manufacture. With the award by the USAF to General Dynamics of the MLV-II vehicle development contract for the Atlas II launch vehicle, the Atlas program rescoped Atlas I production commitments to 11 vehicles and converted the remaining commitments to the Atlas II/IIA/IIAS production effort.
Launches: 11. Failures: 3. First Launch Date: 1990-07-25. Last Launch Date: 1997-04-25. LEO Payload: 3,630 kg (8,000 lb). to: 185 km Orbit. Payload: 2,255 kg (4,971 lb). to a: Geosynchronous transfer trajectory. Apogee: 400,000 km (240,000 mi). Associated Spacecraft: AS 3000, CRRES, GOES-Next, HS 376, HS 601, SAX. Liftoff Thrust: 1,939.300 kN (435,972 lbf). Total Mass: 164,300 kg (362,200 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 43.90 m (144.00 ft). Development Cost $: 400.000 million. in: 1987 average dollars. Launch Price $: 75.000 million. in: 1994 price dollars. Flyaway Unit Cost $: 70.300 million. in: 1985 unit dollars. Cost comments: 1989, 61 sets of motors cost $ 650 mn.
Atlas II.
The Atlas II booster was 2.7-meters longer than an Atlas I and included uprated Rocketdyne MA-5A engines. The Atlas I vernier engines were replaced with a hydrazine roll control system. The Centaur stage was stretched 0.9-meters compared to the Centaur I stage. Fixed foam insulation replaced Atlas I's jettisonable insulation panels. The original Atlas II model was developed to support the United States Air Force Medium Launch Vehicle II program. Its Centaur used RL10A-3-3A engines operating at an increased mixture ratio. The first Atlas II flew on 7 December 1991, successfully delivering AC-102/Eutelsat II F3 to orbit.
Launches: 10. First Launch Date: 1991-12-07. Last Launch Date: 1998-03-16. LEO Payload: 6,580 kg (14,500 lb). to: 185 km Orbit. at: 28.50 degrees. Payload: 2,810 kg (6,190 lb). to a: Geosynchronous transfer trajectory. Apogee: 40,000 km (24,000 mi). Associated Spacecraft: DSCS III, HS 601, Spacebus 100. Liftoff Thrust: 2,110.600 kN (474,482 lbf). Total Mass: 187,600 kg (413,500 lb). Core Diameter: 3.05 m (10.00 ft). Total Length: 47.50 m (155.80 ft). Launch Price $: 85.000 million. in: 1994 price dollars.
Atlas IIA.
The Atlas II booster was 2.7-meters longer than an Atlas I and included uprated Rocketdyne MA-5A engines. The Atlas I vernier engines were replaced with a hydrazine roll control system. The Centaur stage was stretched 0.9-meters compared to the Centaur I stage. Fixed foam insulation replaced Atlas I's jettisonable insulatio | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
