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Atlas LV-3B
- The Atlas LV-3B, Atlas D Mercury Launch Vehicle or Mercury-Atlas Launch Vehicle, was a human-rated expendable launch system used as part of the United States Project Mercury to send astronauts into low Earth orbit. Manufactured by Convair, it was derived from the SM-65D Atlas missile, and was a member of the Atlas family of rockets.
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Beginning in 1960, the Agena upper stage, powered by hypergolic propellant, was used extensively on Atlas launch vehicles. The United States Air Force, NRO and CIA used them to launch SIGINT satellites.
The SM-65D Atlas, or Atlas D, was the first operational version of the Atlas missile and the basis for all Atlas space launchers, debuting in 1959. Atlas D weighed 255,950 lb (116,100 kg) (without payload) and had an empty weight of only 11,894 lb (5,395 kg); the other 95.35% was propellant.
Atlas D was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, at Launch Complexes 11, 12, 13 and 14, and Vandenberg Air Force Base at Launch Complex 576. The fully operational D-series Atlas was similar to the R&D model Atlas B and C, but incorporated a number of design changes implemented as a result of lessons learned during test flights.
May 7, 2024 · Atlas, series of American launch vehicles, designed originally as intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), that have been in service since the late 1950s. The Atlas D, the first version deployed, became operational in 1959 as one of the first U.S. ICBMs.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
In general terms, Atlas D-based space launch vehicles were classified as Space Launch Vehicle-3 (SLV-3). However, they have historically been better known by the Atlas name in combination with the name of associated upper stages or mission assignments.
Jul 5, 2015 · Engine: XLR-105-5. Status: Out of Production. In July 1959, the XSM-65D prototype of the initial production variant, the Atlas D, first flew. On 31 October 1959, the first U.S. Air Force ICBM squadron went on Combat Alert at Vandenberg AFB, with 3 SM-65D missiles on unprotected open launch pads.
Jan 1, 2021 · About 350 Atlas missiles were built. At the end of their service life many Atlas D, E and F missiles were stored, refurbished, and used as space launch vehicles. New Atlas versions with Agena and Centaur upper stages and different engines continue to be built and launched.
