Titan II GLV
Launch of Gemini 11 on a Titan II GLV from LC-19
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| Function | Human-rated launch vehicle for Gemini spacecraft |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Martin |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Size | |
| Height | 109 feet (33.2 m) |
| Diameter | 10 feet (3.05 m) |
| Mass | 340,000 pounds (154,200 kg) |
| Stages | 2 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to LEO | 7,900 pounds (3,580 kg) |
| Associated rockets | |
| Family | Titan |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Retired |
| Launch sites | Cape Canaveral LC-19 |
| Total launches | 12 |
| Successes | 12 |
| First flight | April 8, 1964 |
| Last flight | November 11, 1966 |
| Notable payloads | Gemini |
| First stage | |
| Engines | 1 LR87-AJ-7 |
| Thrust | 430,000 pounds-force (1,913 kN) |
| Specific impulse | 258 sec |
| Burn time | 156 seconds |
| Fuel | Aerozine 50/N2O4 |
| Second stage | |
| Engines | 1 LR91-AJ-7 |
| Thrust | 100,000 pounds-force (445 kN) |
| Specific impulse | 316 sec |
| Burn time | 180 seconds |
| Fuel | Aerozine 50/N2O4 |
The Titan II GLV (Gemini Launch Vehicle) or Gemini-Titan II was an American expendable launch system derived from the Titan II missile, which was used to launch twelve Gemini missions for NASA between 1964 and 1966. Two unmanned launches followed by ten manned ones were conducted from Launch Complex 19 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, starting with Gemini 1 on April 8, 1964.
The Titan II was a two-stage liquid-fuel rocket, using a hypergolic propellant combination of Aerozine 50 fuel and nitrogen tetroxide oxidizer. The first stage was powered by an LR87 engine (with two combustion chambers and nozzles, fed by a single set of turbomachinery), and the second stage was propelled by an LR-91 engine.
In addition to greater payload capability, the Titan II promised greater reliability than the Atlas LV-3B which had been selected for Project Mercury, because Titan's hypergolic-fueled engines contained far fewer components.
Several modifications were made to the Titan missile to man-rate it for Project Gemini:
Modifications were overseen by the Air Force Systems Command. Aerojet, the manufacturer of the Titan's engines, had released a revised model during mid-1963 due to deficiencies in the original design and also attempting to improve manufacturing procedures.
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