The Atlas-Centaur was an American expendable launch system

Expendable launch system

An expendable launch system is a launch system that uses an expendable launch vehicle to carry a payload into space. The vehicles used in expendable launch systems are designed to be used only once , and their components are not recovered for re-use after launch...

 designed and built by General Dynamics Convair Division in San Diego, CA. It was derived from the SM-65 Atlas missile. It was a member of the Atlas

Atlas (rocket family)

Atlas is a family of U.S. 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...

 family of rockets, and was used for 61 orbit

Orbit

In physics, an orbit is the gravitationally curved path of an object around a point in space, for example the orbit of a planet around the center of a star system, such as the Solar System...

al launches between 1962 and 1983. It was replaced by the Atlas G

Atlas G

The Atlas G, also known as Atlas G Centaur-D1AR was an American expendable launch system derived from the Atlas-Centaur. It was a member of the Atlas family of rockets, and was used to launch seven communication satellites during the mid to late 1980s...

, which still contains a Centaur upper stage on top of an Atlas rocket. It was the first rocket to use cryogenic fuel

Cryogenic fuel

Cryogenic fuels are fuels that require storage at extremely low temperatures in order to maintain them in a liquid state. Cryogenic fuels most often constitute liquefied gases such as liquid hydrogen....

; the Centaur stage featured two Pratt and Whitney RL-10 engines that used cryogenic propellant: liquid hydrogen

Liquid hydrogen

Liquid hydrogen is the liquid state of the element hydrogen. Hydrogen is found naturally in the molecular H2 form.To exist as a liquid, H2 must be pressurized above and cooled below hydrogen's Critical point. However, for hydrogen to be in a full liquid state without boiling off, it needs to be...

(LH2)-473 deg. F and liquid oxygen

Liquid oxygen

Liquid oxygen — abbreviated LOx, LOX or Lox in the aerospace, submarine and gas industries — is one of the physical forms of elemental oxygen.-Physical properties:...

(LO2) -320 deg. F.

The Atlas-Centaur was a three stage launch vehicle system. Atlas providing the first two stages, and the Centaur providing the upper stage. The Atlas first stage burned kerosene and LO2 due to its higher specific energy

Specific energy

Specific energy is defined as the energy per unit mass. Common metric units are J/kg. It is an intensive property. Contrast this with energy, which is an extensive property. There are two main types of specific energy: potential energy and specific kinetic energy. Others are the gray and sievert,...

. Once depleted, the first stage (two parallel booster engines on either side of the central sustainer engine) separated and fell to earth. The Atlas second (center JPL-5 engine) continued to propel the Atlas and Centaur upper stage to low earth orbit (LEO). On LEO, a pyrotechnic super-zip system would fire and the Centaur would float away from the second stage. Once away, the Centaur could perform multiple burns as required for the specific satellite mission .

Initially, a modified Atlas D

SM-65D Atlas

The SM-65D Atlas, or Atlas D, was the first operational version of the U.S. Atlas missile. It first flew on April 14, 1959. Atlas D missiles were also used for orbital launches, both with upper stages and on their own as a stage-and-a-half vehicle....

, designated LV-3C, was used as the first stage This was quickly replaced by SLV-3C, and later the SLV-3D, both derived from the standard Atlas SLV-3

Atlas SLV-3

The Atlas SLV-3, or SLV-3 Atlas was an American expendable launch system derived from the SM-65 Atlas missile. It was a member of the Atlas family of rockets, and was used for three suborbital tests of X-23 Prime re-entry vehicles...

 rocket. Two spaceflights, with the Pioneer 10

Pioneer 10

Pioneer 10 is a 258-kilogram robotic space probe that completed the first interplanetary mission to Jupiter, and became the first spacecraft to achieve escape velocity from the Solar System. The project was managed by the NASA Ames Research Center and the contract for the construction of the...

 and Pioneer 11

Pioneer 11

Pioneer 11 is a 259-kilogram robotic space probe launched by NASA on April 6, 1973 to study the asteroid belt, the environment around Jupiter and Saturn, solar wind, cosmic rays, and eventually the far reaches of the solar system and heliosphere...

 space probes to Jupiter, Saturn, exiting the Solar System, used a three- and-one-half stage configuration, with a "Star-37E" solid-fueled final stage.

Launches were conducted from Launch Complex 36

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 36

Launch Complex 36 , known as Space Launch Complex 36 from 1997 to 2010, is a launch complex at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Brevard County, Florida. Now operated under license by Space Florida, it was used for Atlas launches from 1962 until 2005...

 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is an installation of the United States Air Force Space Command's 45th Space Wing, headquartered at nearby Patrick Air Force Base. Located on Cape Canaveral in the state of Florida, CCAFS is the primary launch head of America's Eastern Range with four launch pads...

. The fifth launch of an Atlas-Centaur exploded on the launch pad, causing significant damage, and persuading NASA and the Air Force to proceed with the completion of a previously abandoned back-up launch pad at Launch Complex-36B.Such launch failures turned out to be very rare during the use of the Atlas-Centaur rocket, and its successors.

A number of later rockets were derived from the Atlas-Centaur; the Atlas G

Atlas G

The Atlas G, also known as Atlas G Centaur-D1AR was an American expendable launch system derived from the Atlas-Centaur. It was a member of the Atlas family of rockets, and was used to launch seven communication satellites during the mid to late 1980s...

, Atlas I

Atlas I

The Atlas I was an American expendable launch system, used in the 1990s to launch a variety of different satellites. The "I" in "Atlas I" can cause confusion, as all previous Atlas rockets were designated using letters, ending with the Atlas H, however subsequent rockets were designated using roman...

, Atlas II

Atlas II

Atlas II was a member of the Atlas family of launch vehicles, which evolved from the successful Atlas missile program of the 1950s. Atlas II was the last Atlas to use a three engine, "stage-and-a-half" design: two of its three engines were jettisoned during ascent, but its fuel tanks and other...

, Atlas III

Atlas III

The Lockheed Martin Atlas III was an American orbital launch vehicle, used between 2000 and 2005. It was the first member of the Atlas family since the Atlas A to feature a "normal" staging method, compared to the previous Atlas family members, which were equipped with jettisonable engines on the...

, and the Atlas V

Atlas V

Atlas V is an active expendable launch system in the Atlas rocket family. Atlas V was formerly operated by Lockheed Martin, and is now operated by the Lockheed Martin-Boeing joint venture United Launch Alliance...

, the latter of which is still in service.

Variants

Name	First launch	Last launch	Launches	Successes	Failures	Partial failures	Remarks
Atlas LV-3C Centaur-A	1962-05-09		1	0	1	0
Atlas LV-3C Centaur-B	1963-11-27		1	1	0	0
Atlas LV-3C Centaur-C	1964-06-30	1965-03-03	3	0	2	1
Atlas LV-3C Centaur-D	1965-08-11	1967-07-14	7	7	0	0
Atlas SLV-3C Centaur-D	1967-09-08	1972-08-21	17	14	3	0
Atlas SLV-3D Centaur-D1A	1974-03-05	1975-05-22	6	5	1	0	One flight with Star-37E upper stage
	1975-09-26	1983-05-19	26	24	1	1
Later rockets derived from the Atlas-Centaur
Atlas G Atlas G The Atlas G, also known as Atlas G Centaur-D1AR was an American expendable launch system derived from the Atlas-Centaur. It was a member of the Atlas family of rockets, and was used to launch seven communication satellites during the mid to late 1980s...	1984-06-09	1989-09-25	7	5	2	0	(Atlas G Centaur-D1AR)
Atlas I Atlas I The Atlas I was an American expendable launch system, used in the 1990s to launch a variety of different satellites. The "I" in "Atlas I" can cause confusion, as all previous Atlas rockets were designated using letters, ending with the Atlas H, however subsequent rockets were designated using roman...	1990-07-25	1997-04-25	11	8	3	0
Atlas II Atlas II Atlas II was a member of the Atlas family of launch vehicles, which evolved from the successful Atlas missile program of the 1950s. Atlas II was the last Atlas to use a three engine, "stage-and-a-half" design: two of its three engines were jettisoned during ascent, but its fuel tanks and other...	1991-12-07	2004-08-31	63	63	0	0
Atlas III Atlas III The Lockheed Martin Atlas III was an American orbital launch vehicle, used between 2000 and 2005. It was the first member of the Atlas family since the Atlas A to feature a "normal" staging method, compared to the previous Atlas family members, which were equipped with jettisonable engines on the...	2000-05-24	2005-02-03	6	6	0	0
Atlas V Atlas V Atlas V is an active expendable launch system in the Atlas rocket family. Atlas V was formerly operated by Lockheed Martin, and is now operated by the Lockheed Martin-Boeing joint venture United Launch Alliance...	2002-08-21	Active	14	13	0	1