Atlas SLV-3

Atlas SLV-3
Launch history
Function	Expendable launch system Sounding rocket
Manufacturer	Convair General Dynamics
Country of origin	United States
Status	Retired
Launch sites	SLC-3E, Vandenberg LC-14, Cape Canaveral
Total launches	5
Successes	3
Failures	2
First flight	1 June 1966
Last flight	16 August 1968

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 SLV-3 was a stage and a half rocket, built as a standardized replacement for earlier Atlas launch systems, which had been derived from the various Atlas missiles.^[1]

Most space launcher variants of the Atlas up to 1965 were derived from the D-series Atlas ICBM with custom modifications for the needs of the particular mission. The SLV-3 would use a standardized configuration based on the Atlas D missile for all launches with the exception of different widths for the top of the rocket depending on the upper stage being flown.

The SLV-3 had thicker gauge tank walls to support the weight of upper stages as well as upgraded engines and removal of unneeded ICBM hardware such as retrorockets. Although the main engines had greater thrust, the verniers were detuned slightly in the interest of improved ISP (vacuum specific impulse).

Variants of the SLV-3 flew until 2004 when the legacy Atlas was retired from service and replaced by the Atlas V, a completely new vehicle with conventional aircraft-style construction and different engines.

Versions

The following versions of the launch system were produced.^[2]^[3]

Atlas-SLV3

ATDA atop an Atlas-SLV3 launch vehicle

It is most well known for launching the Augmented Target Docking Adapter (ATDA). The launch was conducted on 1 June 1966, and was the first flight of the Atlas SLV-3 as an independent vehicle.^[4] The rocket was also used for three suborbital tests of X-23 Prime re-entry vehicles.

A Burner II upper stage could be used to increase payload.^[5] The Atlas SLV-3 was also used as the first stage of several Atlas-Agena and Atlas-Centaur variants.

Thrust (pounds): 389,000
Booster ISP: 252.5
Sustainer ISP: 214.2
Vernier ISP: 190.9/237.7
Main impulse propellants (pounds): 246,549
Launch weight (pounds): 260,928
Booster jettison weight (pounds): 7,368
Sustainer jettison weight (pounds): 6,569

Atlas-SLV3A

Atlas-SLV3B

Atlas-SLV3C

Mariner 7 launch by an Atlas-SLV3C

Atlas-SLV3D

Atlas SLV-3D Centaur-D1A rocket which launching Mariner 10

References

↑ Encyclopedia Astronautica - Atlas
↑ http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_fam/atlas.htm
↑ http://www.aerospaceprojectsreview.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Advanced-Atlas-Launch-Vehicle-Digest.pdf
↑ "On The Shoulders of Titans - Chap. 14". Archived from the original on 2010-03-11. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
↑ Gunter's Space Page - Atlas-SLV3 Burner-2

External links

http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraftDisplay.do?id=1966-046A Gemini 9 Target B

Atlas rockets

Main articles

Rockets

Prototypes

Missiles

Launch systems

Alphabetical	Atlas B Atlas D Atlas E/F Atlas G Atlas H

Upper stages	Atlas-Able Atlas-Agena Atlas-Centaur

Numerical	Atlas I Atlas II Atlas III Atlas V

Other	Atlas LV-3B Atlas SLV-3 GX

Launch sites

Cape Canaveral	LC-11 LC-12 LC-13 LC-14 (S)LC-36 SLC-41

Vandenberg	LC-576 SLC-3 SLC-4

Bases	Altus Dyess Fairchild Forbes Francis E. Warren Lincoln Offutt Plattsburgh Schilling Walker

Components

Boosters	AJ-60A Castor 4A MA

First stages	Common Core Booster

Upper stages	Able Agena Altair Burner Centaur IABS MSD OIS PTS SGS Star SVS Trident

Engines	AJ-10 B-8048 B-8081 B-8096 LR-89 LR-105 R-4D RD-180 RL10 RS-56

Corporations

Manufacturers

Rocket	Convair General Dynamics Martin Marietta Lockheed Martin

Engines	Aerojet NPO Energomash Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Thiokol

LSPs

Launches

Orbital launch systems

See also: Comparison of orbital launch systems

Current	Angara 1.2 A5 Antares 200 Ariane 5 Atlas V Delta II IV Dnepr Epsilon Falcon 9 v1.2 "Full Thrust" GSLV H-IIA H-IIB Kuaizhou Long March 2C 2D 2F 3A 3B 3C 4B 4C 5 6 7 11 LVM3 Minotaur I IV V C Pegasus Proton-M PSLV Rokot Safir Shavit Simorgh Soyuz U FG Soyuz-2 2.1a / STA 2.1b / STB 2-1v Strela Unha Vega Zenit 3SL 3SLB 3F

In development	Angara A5P A5V Antares 300 Ariane 6 Electron Falcon 9 "Block 5" Falcon Heavy Firefly α H3 ITS KZ-11 KZ-21 Long March 8 9 LauncherOne Mayak Naga-L Naro-2 New Glenn Orel Proton Light Medium RPS SLS Soyuz-5 SPARK SS-520 Tronador II Tsyklon-4 ULV VLM Vulcan

Retired	Antares 100 Ariane 1 2 3 4 ASLV Athena I II Atlas B D E/F G H I II III LV-3B SLV-3 Able Agena Centaur Black Arrow Conestoga Delta A B C D E G J L M N 0100 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 III Diamant Energia Europa Falcon 1 Falcon 9 v1.0 v1.1 Feng Bao 1 H-I H-II Juno I Juno II Kaituozhe-1 Kosmos 1 2I 3 3M Lambda 4S Long March 1 2A 2E 3 4A Mu 4S 3C 3H 3S 3SII V N1 N-I N-II Naro-1 Paektusan Pilot Proton UR-500 K R-7 Luna Molniya M L Polyot Soyuz original L M U2 Soyuz/Vostok Sputnik Voskhod Vostok L K 2 2M R-29 Shtil' Volna Saturn I IB V INT-21 Scout SLV Space Shuttle Sparta Start-1 Thor Able Ablestar Agena Burner Delta DSV-2U Thorad-Agena Titan II GLV IIIA IIIB IIIC IIID IIIE 34D 23G CT-3 IV Tsyklon 2 3 Vanguard Zenit 2 2M

United States orbital launch systems

Active	Antares Atlas V Delta II IV Heavy Falcon 9 Full Thrust Minotaur I IV V C Pegasus

In development	Athena Ic IIc III Falcon Heavy ITS New Glenn SLS SPARK Vulcan

Retired	Ares I V Athena I II Atlas B D E/F G H I II III LV-3B SLV-3 Able Agena Centaur Conestoga Delta A B C D E G J L M N 0100 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 III Falcon 1 Falcon 9 v1.0 v1.1 H-I* Juno I Juno II N-I* N-II* Pilot Saturn I IB V INT-21 Scout Shuttle Sparta Thor Able Ablestar Agena Burner Delta DSV-2U Thorad-Agena Titan II GLV IIIA IIIB IIIC IIID IIIE 34D 23G CT-3 IV Vanguard

* - Japanese projects using US rockets or stages

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