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Two-and-a-half-stage rocket
- The Atlas-Agena was a two-and-a-half-stage rocket, with a stage-and-a-half Atlas missile as the first stage, and an RM-81 Agena second stage. Initially, Atlas D missiles, redesignated as the LV-3, were used as the first stage. These were later replaced by the standardized Atlas SLV-3, and its derivatives, the SLV-3A and B.
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The RM-81 Agena (/ ə dʒ i n ə /) was an American rocket upper stage and satellite bus which was developed by Lockheed Corporation initially for the canceled WS-117L reconnaissance satellite program.
- United States
- 248 inches (6.3 m)
- 60 inches (1.5 m)
- Lockheed Corporation
Each ATV consisted of an Agena-D-derivative upper rocket stage built by Lockheed Aircraft and a docking adapter built by McDonnell Aircraft. The Agena was launched from Cape Kennedy's Launch Complex 14 on top of an Atlas booster built by the Convair division of General Dynamics.
- 18,030–18,100 pounds (8,180–8,210 kg)
- NASA
The Atlas-Agena A was a two-stage rocket using the Atlas D missile as a first stage and the Lockheed Agena A as a second stage. The Agena family of second stages originated in the Atlas-Hustler concept proposed by the U.S. Air Force.
Using the Atlas E or Atlas F missile as a first stage, the Atlas-Agena B featured an improved version of the Agena A as second stage. The Agena B was 23 feet, 7 inches long and 4 feet, 11 inches wide. It employed one Bell engine capable of producing a thrust of 16,000 pounds.
Atlas D GAATV. Credit: © Thomas Kladiva - Thomas Kladiva. American orbital launch vehicle. Atlas D with further improved and lightened Agena upper stage. Status: Retired 1965. First Launch: 1963-07-12. Last Launch: 1965-07-20. Number: 15 . Payload: 800 kg (1,760 lb). Thrust: 1,939.29 kN (435,970 lbf). Gross mass: 153,365 kg (338,111 lb).
By Cliff Lethbridge. Atlas-Agena D Launch, Photo Courtesy NASA. Classification: Space Launch Vehicle. Length: 102 feet. Diameter: 10 feet. Date of First Cape Canaveral Launch: October 16, 1963. Date of Final Cape Canaveral Launch: April 6, 1978. Number of Cape Canaveral Launches: 35.
Agena A Nitric acid/UDMH propellant rocket stage. The Agena space vehicle was used in large numbers during the 1960s and 1970s as upper stage with SLV-2 Thor, SLV-3 Atlas and SLV-5 Titan boosters to launch a variety of military and civilian payloads into orbit.
