Atlas III

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Atlas III

The maiden flight of the Atlas III
Fact sheet
Function	Medium expendable Launch vehicle
Manufacturer	Lockheed Martin
Country of origin	USA
Size
Height	52.8 m (173.2 ft)
Diameter	3.05 m (10 ft)
Mass	214,338 kg (472,338 lb)
Stages	2
	Capacity
Payload to LEO	Atlas IIIA: 8,640 kg (19,040 lb) Atlas IIIB: 10,218 kg (23,630 lb)
Payload to GTO	Atlas IIIA: 4,055 kg (8,939 lb) Atlas IIIB: 4,500 kg (9,900 lb)
Launch History
Status	Retired
Launch Sites	LC-36B, CCAFS
Total launches	6 2 Atlas IIIA 4 Atlas IIIB
Successes	6
Maiden flight	Atlas IIIA: 24 May 2000 Atlas IIIB: 21 February 2002
Last flight	Atlas IIIA: 13 March 2004 Atlas IIIB: 3 February 2005
First Stage
Engines	1 RD-180
Thrust	4,148.7 kN (932,670 lbf)
Specific Impulse	311 sec
Burn time	132 seconds
Fuel	RP-1/LOX
Second Stage (Atlas IIIA) - Centaur (SEC)
Engines	1 RL-10A
Thrust	99.2 kN (22,290 lbf)
Specific Impulse	451 sec
Burn time	738 seconds
Fuel	LH2/LOX
Second Stage (Atlas IIIB) - Centaur (DEC)
Engines	2 RL-10A
Thrust	147 kN (22,290 lbf)
Specific Impulse	449 sec
Burn time	392 seconds
Fuel	LH2/LOX

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 to feature a "normal" staging method, compared to the previous Atlas variants, which were equipped with jettisonable engines on the first (sustainer) stage.

It consisted of two stages. The first stage was new, but the upper stage was the Centaur, which has been used on most American launch vehicles since the 1960s, and is still in use today on the Atlas V and Delta EELVs.

The first stage engines were Russian RD-180s, which are also used by the Atlas V. They are license-produced in the US by Pratt and Whitney.

The maiden flight of the Atlas III occurred on May 24, 2000, launching the Eutelsat W4 communications satellite into a geosynchronous orbit.

The Atlas III was produced in two versions. The baseline was the Atlas IIIA, but the Atlas IIIB, which featured a twin-engine version of the Centaur upper stage was also produced.

All Atlas III launches were made from Launch Complex 36B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

The Atlas III made its last flight on February 3, 2005, with a classified payload for the United States National Reconnaissance Office.