Atlas (rocket family)
| Atlas family | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Atlas II, III and V comparison | |
| Role | Expendable launch system with various applications |
| Manufacturer |
Convair General Dynamics Lockheed Martin United Launch Alliance |
| First flight | 17 December 1957 |
| Introduction | 1957 |
| Status | Atlas V (current) |
| Primary users |
United States Air Force National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
| Produced | 1957–2010s (decade) |
| Variants |
SM-65 Atlas SM-65D Atlas Atlas LV-3C Atlas IIIA Atlas V |
Atlas is a family of American missiles and space launch vehicles. The original Atlas missile was designed in the late 1950s and produced by the Convair Division of General Dynamics, to be used as an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). It was a liquid propellant rocket burning liquid oxygen and RP-1 fuel in three engines configured in an unusual "stage-and-a-half" or "Parallel Staging" design: its two outboard booster engines were jettisoned during ascent, while its center sustainer engine, propellant tanks and other structural elements were retained through orbital insertion (for orbital flights).
The missiles saw only brief ICBM service, and the last squadron was taken off operational alert in 1965. From 1962 to 1963, Atlas boosters launched the first four American astronauts to orbit the Earth. Various Atlas II models were launched 63 times between 1991 and 2004. There were only six launches of the Atlas III, all between 2000 and 2005. The Atlas V is still in service, with launches planned until 2020.
The Atlas name was originally proposed by Karel Bossart and his design team working at Convair on project MX-1593. Using the name of a mighty titan from Greek mythology reflected the missile's place as the biggest and most powerful to date. It also reflected the parent company of Convair, the Atlas Corporation.
More than 300 Atlas launches have been conducted from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida and 285 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
The first successful test launch of an SM-65 Atlas missile was on December 17, 1957. Approximately 350 Atlas missiles were built. Many were eventually converted to orbital launch vehicles after they were removed from service as missiles.
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Wikipedia