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Atlas V
Atlas V is an expendable launch system and the fifth major version in the Atlas launch vehicle family. It was developed by Lockheed Martin and has been operated by United Launch Alliance (ULA) since 2006. Primarily used to launch payloads for the United States Department of Defense, NASA, and commercial customers, Atlas V is the longest-serving active rocket in the United States.
Each Atlas V vehicle consists of two main stages. The first stage is powered by a single Russian-made RD-180 engine that burns kerosene and liquid oxygen. The Centaur upper stage uses one or two American-made Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10 engines that burn liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. Strap-on solid rocket boosters (SRBs) are used in several configurations. Originally equipped with AJ-60A SRBs, the vehicle switched to Graphite-Epoxy Motor (GEM 63) boosters beginning in November 2020, except for flights in the Boeing Starliner program. Standard payload fairings measure either 4.2 m (14 ft) or 5.4 m (18 ft) in diameter, with multiple available lengths.
In August 2021, ULA announced that Atlas V would be retired and all remaining launches had been sold. As of April 2025[update], 14 launches remain. Production of the rocket ended in 2024. Future ULA missions will use the Vulcan Centaur launch vehicle, which was designed in part to comply with a Congressional mandate to phase out use of the Russian-made RD-180 engine.
The Atlas V was developed by Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services (LMCLS) as part of the U.S. Air Force Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program and made its inaugural flight on August 21, 2002. The vehicle operates from SLC-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS). It also operated from SLC-3E at Vandenberg Space Force Base until 2022. LMCLS continued to market the Atlas V to commercial customers worldwide until January 2018, when United Launch Alliance (ULA) assumed control of commercial marketing and sales.
The Atlas V first stage, the Common Core Booster (not to be confused with the Delta IV's Common Booster Core), is 3.8 m (12 ft) in diameter and 32.5 m (107 ft) in length. It is powered by one Russian NPO Energomash RD-180 main engine burning 284,450 kg (627,100 lb) of liquid oxygen and RP-1. The booster operates for about four minutes, providing about 4 MN (900,000 lbf) of thrust. Thrust can be augmented with up to five Aerojet AJ-60A or Northrop Grumman GEM 63 strap-on solid rocket boosters, each providing an additional 1.27 MN (290,000 lbf) of thrust for 94 seconds.
The main differences between the Atlas V and earlier Atlas I and II family launch vehicles are:
The Centaur III upper stage uses a pressure-stabilized propellant-tank design and cryogenic propellants. The Centaur III was first introduced for use on the Atlas III and was stretched 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in) relative to the Centaur II used on the Atlas II. It is powered by either one or two Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10 engines, each developing a thrust of up to 101.8 kN (22,900 lbf). The inertial navigation unit (INU) located on the Centaur provides guidance and navigation for both the Atlas and Centaur and controls both Atlas and Centaur tank pressures and propellant use. The Centaur engines are capable of multiple in-space starts, making possible insertion into low Earth parking orbit, followed by a coast period and then insertion into GTO. A subsequent third burn following a multi-hour coast can permit direct injection of payloads into geostationary orbit.[citation needed]
When the Atlas V was introduced, the Centaur III was alternatively called the Common Centaur, reflecting its use on both the Atlas III and V. As of 2006[update], the Centaur III had the highest proportion of burnable propellant relative to total mass of any modern hydrogen upper stage and hence can deliver substantial payloads to a high-energy state.
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Atlas V
Atlas V is an expendable launch system and the fifth major version in the Atlas launch vehicle family. It was developed by Lockheed Martin and has been operated by United Launch Alliance (ULA) since 2006. Primarily used to launch payloads for the United States Department of Defense, NASA, and commercial customers, Atlas V is the longest-serving active rocket in the United States.
Each Atlas V vehicle consists of two main stages. The first stage is powered by a single Russian-made RD-180 engine that burns kerosene and liquid oxygen. The Centaur upper stage uses one or two American-made Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10 engines that burn liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. Strap-on solid rocket boosters (SRBs) are used in several configurations. Originally equipped with AJ-60A SRBs, the vehicle switched to Graphite-Epoxy Motor (GEM 63) boosters beginning in November 2020, except for flights in the Boeing Starliner program. Standard payload fairings measure either 4.2 m (14 ft) or 5.4 m (18 ft) in diameter, with multiple available lengths.
In August 2021, ULA announced that Atlas V would be retired and all remaining launches had been sold. As of April 2025[update], 14 launches remain. Production of the rocket ended in 2024. Future ULA missions will use the Vulcan Centaur launch vehicle, which was designed in part to comply with a Congressional mandate to phase out use of the Russian-made RD-180 engine.
The Atlas V was developed by Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services (LMCLS) as part of the U.S. Air Force Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program and made its inaugural flight on August 21, 2002. The vehicle operates from SLC-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS). It also operated from SLC-3E at Vandenberg Space Force Base until 2022. LMCLS continued to market the Atlas V to commercial customers worldwide until January 2018, when United Launch Alliance (ULA) assumed control of commercial marketing and sales.
The Atlas V first stage, the Common Core Booster (not to be confused with the Delta IV's Common Booster Core), is 3.8 m (12 ft) in diameter and 32.5 m (107 ft) in length. It is powered by one Russian NPO Energomash RD-180 main engine burning 284,450 kg (627,100 lb) of liquid oxygen and RP-1. The booster operates for about four minutes, providing about 4 MN (900,000 lbf) of thrust. Thrust can be augmented with up to five Aerojet AJ-60A or Northrop Grumman GEM 63 strap-on solid rocket boosters, each providing an additional 1.27 MN (290,000 lbf) of thrust for 94 seconds.
The main differences between the Atlas V and earlier Atlas I and II family launch vehicles are:
The Centaur III upper stage uses a pressure-stabilized propellant-tank design and cryogenic propellants. The Centaur III was first introduced for use on the Atlas III and was stretched 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in) relative to the Centaur II used on the Atlas II. It is powered by either one or two Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10 engines, each developing a thrust of up to 101.8 kN (22,900 lbf). The inertial navigation unit (INU) located on the Centaur provides guidance and navigation for both the Atlas and Centaur and controls both Atlas and Centaur tank pressures and propellant use. The Centaur engines are capable of multiple in-space starts, making possible insertion into low Earth parking orbit, followed by a coast period and then insertion into GTO. A subsequent third burn following a multi-hour coast can permit direct injection of payloads into geostationary orbit.[citation needed]
When the Atlas V was introduced, the Centaur III was alternatively called the Common Centaur, reflecting its use on both the Atlas III and V. As of 2006[update], the Centaur III had the highest proportion of burnable propellant relative to total mass of any modern hydrogen upper stage and hence can deliver substantial payloads to a high-energy state.