Atlas V

Atlas V is an active expendable launch system developed by Lockheed Martin and Boeing, and currently operated by United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing. The Atlas V rocket has been used for a variety of NASA missions, including the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, New Horizons, and Curiosity Rover, as well as commercial satellite launches for companies like Intelsat and SES S.A.. The rocket has also been used for US Air Force missions, such as the launch of the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellite, and has been selected for future missions, including the Europa Clipper mission to Jupiter's moon Europa. The development of the Atlas V was influenced by the Space Shuttle program and the Delta IV rocket, and has been compared to other launch vehicles, such as the Ariane 5 and Falcon 9.

Introduction

The Atlas V rocket is a member of the Atlas family of launch vehicles, which has been in use since the late 1950s, with notable launches including the Mercury-Atlas 6 mission, which carried John Glenn into space, and the Gemini program, which used the Gemini-Titan launch vehicle. The Atlas V has been used for a variety of missions, including launches for NASA, the US Air Force, and commercial companies like Telesat and Inmarsat. The rocket has a high success rate, with over 80 successful launches, and has been used for a range of payloads, from small CubeSats to large geostationary satellites like Intelsat 14. The development of the Atlas V was also influenced by the Titan IV rocket and the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle.

Design and Development

The Atlas V rocket was developed by Lockheed Martin and Boeing in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with the first launch occurring in 2002, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The rocket is based on the Atlas III launch vehicle, but features a number of upgrades, including a new RD-180 engine, developed by NPO Energomash, and a Centaur upper stage, developed by General Dynamics. The Atlas V has a number of different configurations, including the 401, 411, 421, and 431, which vary in terms of the number of solid rocket boosters used, and the 501, 511, 521, and 531, which vary in terms of the payload fairing used, and have been compared to other launch vehicles, such as the Ariane 5 and Proton-M. The development of the Atlas V was also influenced by the Delta II rocket and the Titan II launch vehicle.

Operational History

The Atlas V rocket has been used for a variety of missions since its first launch in 2002, including launches for NASA, the US Air Force, and commercial companies like SES S.A. and Eutelsat. The rocket has been launched from both Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Vandenberg Air Force Base, and has been used for a range of payloads, from small CubeSats to large geostationary satellites like Intelsat 30. The Atlas V has a high success rate, with over 80 successful launches, and has been used for a number of high-profile missions, including the launch of the New Horizons spacecraft, which flew by Pluto in 2015, and the launch of the Mars Curiosity Rover, which landed on Mars in 2012. The Atlas V has also been used for launches of US Air Force satellites, such as the Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) system, and has been compared to other launch vehicles, such as the Falcon 9 and Ariane 5.

Variants

The Atlas V rocket has a number of different variants, including the 401, 411, 421, and 431, which vary in terms of the number of solid rocket boosters used, and the 501, 511, 521, and 531, which vary in terms of the payload fairing used, and have been compared to other launch vehicles, such as the Delta IV and Proton-M. The 401 variant is the most basic, with no solid rocket boosters, while the 431 variant has three solid rocket boosters, and has been used for launches of US Air Force satellites, such as the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) system. The 501 variant has a larger payload fairing than the 401 variant, and has been used for launches of commercial satellites, such as Intelsat 14, and has been compared to other launch vehicles, such as the Ariane 5 and Falcon 9.

Notable Missions

The Atlas V rocket has been used for a number of notable missions, including the launch of the New Horizons spacecraft, which flew by Pluto in 2015, and the launch of the Mars Curiosity Rover, which landed on Mars in 2012. The rocket has also been used for launches of US Air Force satellites, such as the Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) system, and has been selected for future missions, including the Europa Clipper mission to Jupiter's moon Europa, and the Psyche mission to the Psyche asteroid. The Atlas V has also been used for launches of commercial satellites, such as Intelsat 30, and has been compared to other launch vehicles, such as the Falcon 9 and Ariane 5. The development of the Atlas V was influenced by the Space Shuttle program and the Delta IV rocket, and has been used for a range of payloads, from small CubeSats to large geostationary satellites like Inmarsat. Category:Spacecraft