Titan IIIE
Launch of a Titan IIIE with Voyager 2
|
|
| Function | Expendable launch system |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Martin Marietta |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Size | |
| Height | 48 m (157 ft) |
| Diameter | 3.05 m (10.0 ft) |
| Mass | 632,970 kg (1,395,460 lb) |
| Stages | 3-4 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to LEO | 15,400 kg (34,000 lb) |
| Payload to Heliocentric orbit (TMI) | 3,700 kg (8,200 lb) |
| Associated rockets | |
| Family | Titan |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Retired |
| Launch sites | LC-41, Cape Canaveral |
| Total launches | 7 |
| Successes | 6 |
| Failures | 1 |
| First flight | 11 February 1974 |
| Last flight | 5 September 1977 |
| Notable payloads |
Voyager (1 / 2) Viking (1 / 2) Helios |
| Boosters (Stage 0) | |
| No. boosters | 2 |
| Motor | UA1205 |
| Thrust | 5,849 kN (1,315,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 263 sec |
| Burn time | 115 seconds |
| Fuel | Solid (Polybutadiene acrylonitrile) |
| First stage | |
| Engines | 2 LR87-11 |
| Thrust | 2,340 kN (530,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 302 sec |
| Burn time | 147 seconds |
| Fuel | A-50/N2O4 |
| Second stage | |
| Engines | 1 LR91-11 |
| Thrust | 454 kN (102,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 316 sec |
| Burn time | 205 seconds |
| Fuel | A-50/N2O4 |
| Third stage - Centaur-D | |
| Engines | 2 RL-10A-3 |
| Thrust | 131 kN (29,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 444 sec |
| Burn time | 470 seconds |
| Fuel | LH2/LOX |
| Fourth stage (optional) - Star-37E | |
| Engines | 1 solid |
| Thrust | 68 kN (15,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 284 sec |
| Burn time | 42 seconds |
| Fuel | Solid |
The Titan IIIE or Titan 3E, also known as 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 German-US Helios spacecraft. All seven launches were conducted from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral.
In 1967, NASA began considering the possibility of combining the massive Titan III booster and Centaur high-energy upper stage to create what was at the time the most powerful launch vehicle for planetary exploration. With over three times the payload capacity of the Atlas-Centaur, Titan IIIE would be able to launch ambitious robotic spacecraft missions planned for the 1970s.
NASA's Lewis Research Center (now the Glenn Research Center) was given the task of integrating Titan with Centaur, which required a number of modifications to accommodate the more powerful booster. The most obvious change was enclosing Centaur in a large shroud that protected the stage and the payload during ascent. This enabled the use of improved insulation on Centaur, which increased coast time in orbit from 30 minutes when launched on Atlas to over 5 hours on the Titan IIIE. Since Centaur was wider than the Titan's core stage, a tapering interface was required. This interface had to be insulated to prevent boiloff of Centaur's cryogenic propellants, since Titan used hypergolic propellants stored at ambient temperature, while Atlas used liquid oxygen. The Centaur stage also contained the guidance computer for the entire launch vehicle.
A four-stage configuration, with an additional upper stage, a Star-37E, was also available, and was used for the two Helios launches. Star-37E stages were also used on the two Voyager launches, but were considered to be part of the payload rather than the rocket.
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