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Atlas III
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Atlas III | |
 The maiden flight of the Atlas III |
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| Fact sheet | |
|---|---|
| Function | Medium expendable Launch vehicle |
| Manufacturer | Lockheed Martin |
| Country of origin | USA |
| Size | |
| Height | 52.8 m (173.2 ft) |
| Diameter | 3.05 m (10 ft) |
| Mass | 214,338 kg (472,338 lb) |
| Stages | 2 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to LEO | Atlas IIIA: 8,640 kg (19,040 lb) Atlas IIIB: 10,218 kg (23,630 lb) |
| Payload to GTO |
Atlas IIIA: 4,055 kg (8,939 lb) Atlas IIIB: 4,500 kg (9,900 lb) |
| Launch History | |
| Status | Retired |
| Launch sites | LC-36B, CCAFS |
| Total launches | 6 2 Atlas IIIA 4 Atlas IIIB |
| Successes | 6 |
| Maiden flight | Atlas IIIA: 24 May 2000 Atlas IIIB: 21 February 2002 |
| Last flight | Atlas IIIA: 13 March 2004 Atlas IIIB: 3 February 2005 |
| First Stage | |
| Engines | 1 RD-180 |
| Thrust | 4,148.7 kN (932,670 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 311 sec |
| Burn time | 132 seconds |
| Fuel | RP-1/LOX |
| Second Stage (Atlas IIIA) - Centaur (SEC) | |
| Engines | 1 RL-10A |
| Thrust | 99.2 kN (22,290 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 451 sec |
| Burn time | 738 seconds |
| Fuel | LH2/LOX |
| Second Stage (Atlas IIIB) - Centaur (DEC) | |
| Engines | 2 RL-10A |
| Thrust | 147 kN (41,592 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 449 sec |
| Burn time | 392 seconds |
| Fuel | LH2/LOX |
The Lockheed Martin Atlas III was an American orbital launch vehicle, used between 2000 and 2005.[1] It was the first member of the Atlas family to feature a "normal" staging method, compared to the previous Atlas family members, which were equipped with jettisonable engines on the first (sustainer) stage.
Contents |
The Atlas III consisted of two stages. The first stage was new, but the upper stage was the Centaur, which has been used on most American launch vehicles since the 1960s, and is still in use today on the Atlas V and Delta EELVs. The first stage engines were Russian RD-180s, which are also used by the Atlas V. They are license-produced in the US by Pratt and Whitney. The Atlas III was produced in two versions. The baseline was the Atlas IIIA, but the Atlas IIIB, which featured a twin-engine version of the Centaur upper stage was also produced.
The maiden flight of the Atlas III occurred on May 24, 2000, launching the Eutelsat W4 communications satellite into a geosynchronous orbit. All Atlas III launches were made from Launch Complex 36B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The Atlas III made its last flight on February 3, 2005, with a classified payload for the United States National Reconnaissance Office.
The GX rocket, currently under development by Galaxy Express Corporation, will use the boost stage of the Atlas III, provided by Lockheed-Martin, and a newly-designed upper stage. The GX will launch from the Tanegashima Space Center, south of Kyūshū, Japan. Its initial launch is currently scheduled for summer 2010.[2]
- ^ Atlas IIIA. Encyclopedia Astronautica.
- ^ Galaxy Express English Website. Galaxy Express Corporation.
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| Current: | |
| Planned: | |
| Historical: |
Ariane (1, 2, 3, 4) · Atlas (ICBM derived, I, II, III) · Black Arrow · Delta III · Diamant · Energia · Europa · H-II · J-I · Juno I · M-V · Molniya (M) · N1 · Polyot · R-7 Semyorka · Saturn (I, IB ,V, INT-21) · Scout · Sparta · Thor · Thor-Agena · Thor-Burner · Thorad-Agena · Titan (I, II, III, IIIB, IV) · Vanguard · Voskhod · Vostok |
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| Main Article | RD-170 |
| Derivatives | RD-171 · RD-180 · RD-191 |
| Technologies | Bipropellant · LOX · RP-1 · Staged combustion cycle |
| Historic rockets | Atlas III (RD-180) · Energia (RD-170) |
| Current rockets | Atlas V (RD-180) · Zenit (RD-171) |
| Future rockets | Angara (RD-171/RD-191) · GX (RD-180) |
| Other LOX & RP-1 Engines | F-1 (Saturn V) · Kestrel (Falcon 1) |