Atlas V

Atlas V
Name	Atlas V
Caption	An Atlas V 551 configuration launching the New Horizons spacecraft.
Function	Expendable launch system
Manufacturer	United Launch Alliance
Country-origin	United States
Height	58.3 m
Diameter	3.81 m
Mass	334,500 kg
Capacity-leo	18,850 kg
Capacity-gto	8,900 kg
Status	Active, being phased out
Launches	99
Success	98
Fail	1 (partial)
First	21 August 2002
Last	10 February 2025 (planned final)
Payloads	New Horizons, Curiosity, OSIRIS-REx, Boeing Starliner
Sites	Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Vandenberg Space Force Base

Atlas V is a workhorse expendable launch system operated by United Launch Alliance (ULA). Developed from the earlier Atlas III and incorporating a Russian-designed RD-180 engine, it was designed under the United States Air Force Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program. Since its debut in 2002, the rocket has achieved an exceptional record of reliability, launching critical national security, scientific, and commercial payloads.

Overview

The vehicle was introduced to provide assured access to space for the United States Department of Defense while also serving the commercial and NASA markets. It succeeded the Atlas II series and was developed alongside the Delta IV family by Lockheed Martin, prior to the formation of United Launch Alliance. Its operational history is marked by high-profile missions for agencies like the National Reconnaissance Office and the deployment of numerous interplanetary spacecraft, cementing its role as a pillar of American space launch capability throughout the early 21st century.

Design and specifications

The first stage is the Common Core Booster, powered by a single RD-180 main engine burning RP-1 and liquid oxygen. Up to five Aerojet Rocketdyne GEM 63 solid rocket boosters can be attached to augment thrust at liftoff. The second stage is the Centaur, a high-energy upper stage using one or two RL10 engines, renowned for its precise orbital insertion capabilities. The vehicle utilizes a 4.2-meter-diameter or larger 5.4-meter-diameter payload fairing, with the Boeing-built Starliner spacecraft employing a unique aeroshell.

Launch history

The inaugural flight occurred on 21 August 2002 from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, delivering the Hot Bird 6 communications satellite. Its only partial failure happened in 2007 during the launch of the NROL-30 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office, though the payload ultimately reached a usable orbit. The rocket has launched from both the Eastern Range in Florida and Space Launch Complex 3 at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, supporting polar orbit missions.

Notable payloads and missions

It has launched many landmark scientific missions, including the New Horizons probe to Pluto and the Kuiper belt, the Mars Science Laboratory carrying the Curiosity rover, and the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission. Critical national security payloads for the United States Space Force and intelligence community, such as the Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellites and Space-Based Infrared System, have routinely flown. The rocket is also the launch vehicle for the uncrewed and crewed test flights of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner under NASA's Commercial Crew Program.

Variants and configurations

Configurations are designated by a three-digit number: the first digit indicates the fairing diameter (4 or 5 meters), the second denotes the number of solid rocket boosters (0-5), and the third signifies the number of engines on the Centaur upper stage (1 or 2). The most powerful variant, the Atlas V 551, was used for New Horizons. The Atlas V N22 configuration, with no fairing and two solid boosters, was developed specifically for the Starliner. The common Atlas V 401 has been a frequently used configuration for medium-lift missions.

Future and retirement

The vehicle is being phased out in favor of its successor, the Vulcan Centaur rocket, also developed by United Launch Alliance. The final missions are scheduled through 2025, including the last launches for the United States Space Force and the crewed flights of Boeing Starliner to the International Space Station. Remaining vehicles and components are allocated to these concluding missions, marking the end of the long-running Atlas rocket family that traces its lineage to the Cold War-era SM-65 Atlas Intercontinental ballistic missile.

Category:Expendable launch systems Category:Atlas rockets Category:2002 in spaceflight