The Centaur is a family of rocket propelled upper stages that has been in use since 1962. It is currently produced by U.S. launch service provider United Launch Alliance,with one main active version and one version under development. The 3.05 m (10.0 ft) diameter Common Centaur/Centaur III flies as the upper stage of the Atlas V launch vehicle,and the 5.4 m (18 ft) diameter Centaur V has been developed as the upper stage of ULA's new Vulcan rocket. Centaur was the first rocket stage to use liquid hydrogen (LH2) and liquid oxygen (LOX) propellants,a high-energy combination that is ideal for upper stages but has significant handling difficulties.
The SM-65 Atlas was the first operational intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) developed by the United States and the first member of the Atlas rocket family. It was built for the U.S. Air Force by the Convair Division of General Dynamics at an assembly plant located in Kearny Mesa,San Diego.
The Delta rocket family was a versatile range of American rocket-powered expendable launch systems that provided space launch capability in the United States from 1960 to 2024. Japan also launched license-built derivatives from 1975 to 1992. More than 300 Delta rockets were launched with a 95% success rate. The series was phased out in favor of the Vulcan Centaur,with the Delta IV Heavy rocket's last launch occurring on April 9,2024.
Big Joe 1 (Atlas-10D) launched an uncrewed boilerplate Mercury capsule from Cape Canaveral,Florida on 9 September 1959. The purposes of the Big Joe 1 were to test the Mercury spacecraft ablative heat shield,afterbody heating,reentry dynamics attitude control and recovery capability. It was also the first launch of a spacecraft in Project Mercury.
The Titan IIIC was an expendable launch system used by the United States Air Force from 1965 until 1982. It was the first Titan booster to feature large solid rocket motors and was planned to be used as a launcher for the Dyna-Soar,though the spaceplane was cancelled before it could fly. The majority of the launcher's payloads were DoD satellites,for military communications and early warning,though one flight (ATS-6) was performed by NASA. The Titan IIIC was launched exclusively from Cape Canaveral while its sibling,the Titan IIID,was launched only from Vandenberg AFB.
Atlas II was a member of the Atlas family of launch vehicles,which evolved from the successful Atlas missile program of the 1950s. The Atlas II was a direct evolution of the Atlas I,featuring longer first-stage tanks,higher-performing engines,and the option for strap-on solid rocket boosters. It was designed to launch payloads into low Earth orbit,geosynchronous transfer orbit or geosynchronous orbit. Sixty-three launches of the Atlas II,IIA and IIAS models were carried out between 1991 and 2004;all sixty-three launches were successes,making the Atlas II a highly reliable space launch system. The Atlas line was continued by the Atlas III,used between 2000 and 2005,and the Atlas V,which is still in use as of 2024.
The highest specific impulse chemical rockets use liquid propellants. They can consist of a single chemical or a mix of two chemicals,called bipropellants. Bipropellants can further be divided into two categories;hypergolic propellants,which ignite when the fuel and oxidizer make contact,and non-hypergolic propellants which require an ignition source.
The Atlas-Centaur was a United States expendable launch vehicle derived from the SM-65 Atlas D missile. The vehicle featured a Centaur upper stage,the first such stage to use high-performance liquid hydrogen as fuel. Launches were conducted from Launch Complex 36 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida. After a strenuous flight test program,Atlas-Centaur went on to launch several crucial spaceflight missions for the United States,including Surveyor 1,and Pioneer 10/11. The vehicle would be continuously developed and improved into the 1990s,with the last direct descendant being the highly successful Atlas II.
The Atlas III was an American orbital launch vehicle,used in the years between 2000 and 2005. It was developed from the highly successful Atlas II rocket and shared many components. It was the first member of the Atlas family since the Atlas A to feature a "normal" staging method,compared to the previous Atlas family members,which were equipped with two jettisonable outboard engines on the first (booster) stage. The Atlas III was developed further to create the Atlas V.
The S-V was the third stage of the Saturn I rocket. It was built by Convair. It was designed to use two RL-10A-1 engines fueled by liquid hydrogen (LH2) and liquid oxygen (LOX) in tanks utilizing a common bulkhead to separate the propellants.
Atlas is a family of US missiles and space launch vehicles that originated with the SM-65 Atlas. The Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) program was initiated in the late 1950s under the Convair Division of General Dynamics. Atlas was a liquid propellant rocket burning RP-1 kerosene fuel with liquid oxygen in three engines configured in an unusual "stage-and-a-half" or "parallel staging" design:two outboard booster engines were jettisoned along with supporting structures during ascent,while the center sustainer engine,propellant tanks and other structural elements remained connected through propellant depletion and engine shutdown.
The Atlas I was a US expendable launch system manufactured by General Dynamics in the 1990s to launch a variety of satellites. It was largely a commercial rebrand of the Atlas G,but did feature several electrical and guidance improvements. Atlas I did not feature any major payload capacity improvements over its predecessor but did offer a larger payload fairing option. Eleven launches took place,with three failures.
The SM-65C Atlas,or Atlas C was a prototype of the Atlas missile. First flown on 24 December 1958,the Atlas C was the final development version of the Atlas rocket,prior to the operational Atlas D. It was originally planned to be used as the first stage of the Atlas-Able rocket,but following an explosion during a static test on 24 September 1959,this was abandoned in favor of the Atlas D. Atlas C was similar to Atlas B,but had a larger LOX tank and smaller RP-1 tank due to technical changes to the Rocketdyne engines. Improvements in materials and manufacturing processes also resulted in lighter-weight components than the Atlas A and B. Booster burn time was much longer than the A/B series,up to 151 seconds. All launches took place from LC-12 at CCAS.
The SM-65D Atlas,or Atlas D,was the first operational version of the U.S. Atlas missile. Atlas D was first used as an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) to deliver a nuclear weapon payload on a suborbital trajectory. It was later developed as a launch vehicle to carry a payload to low Earth orbit on its own,and later to geosynchronous orbit,to the Moon,Venus,or Mars with the Agena or Centaur upper stage.
The SM-65E Atlas,or Atlas-E,was an operational variant of the Atlas missile. It first flew on October 11,1960,and was deployed as an operational ICBM from September 1961 until April 1966. Following retirement as an ICBM,the Atlas-E,along with the Atlas-F,was refurbished for orbital launches as the Atlas E/F. The last Atlas E/F launch was conducted on March 24,1995,using a rocket which had originally been built as an Atlas E.
The SM-65F Atlas,or Atlas-F,was the final operational variant of the Atlas missile,only differing from the Atlas E in the launch facility and guidance package used. It first flew on 8 August 1961,and was deployed as an operational ICBM between 1961 and 1966. Following retirement as an ICBM,the Atlas-F,along with the Atlas-E,was refurbished for orbital launches as the Atlas E/F.
The Titan IIIE or Titan 3E,also known as the Titan III-Centaur,was an American expendable launch system. Launched seven times between 1974 and 1977,it enabled several high-profile NASA missions,including the Voyager and Viking planetary probes and the joint West Germany-U.S. Helios spacecraft. All seven launches were conducted from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 41 in Cape Canaveral,Florida.
The Atlas SLV-3,or SLV-3 Atlas was an American expendable launch system derived from the SM-65 Atlas / SM-65D Atlas missile. It was a member of the Atlas family of rockets.
The Atlas LV-3B,Atlas D Mercury Launch Vehicle or Mercury-Atlas Launch Vehicle,was a human-rated expendable launch system used as part of the United States Project Mercury to send astronauts into low Earth orbit. Manufactured by Convair,it was derived from the SM-65D Atlas missile,and was a member of the Atlas family of rockets. With the Atlas having been originally designed as a weapon system,testing and design changes were made to the missile to make it a safe and reliable launch vehicle. After the changes were made and approved,the US launched the LV-3B nine times,four of which had crewed Mercury spacecraft.
The Rocketdyne LR89 was a liquid-fueled rocket engine developed in the 1950s by Rocketdyne,a division of North American Aviation. It was designed to serve as a booster engine the Atlas rocket family. The LR89 was a liquid oxygen (LOX) and RP-1 (kerosene) engine.
