Atlas E/F
{{Short description|American expendable launch vehicle}}
{{about|the expendable launch system|the missiles|SM-65E Atlas|and|SM-65F Atlas}}
{{No orbit for payload|date=March 2020}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox rocket
| name = Atlas E/F
| image =
| caption =
| image_size =
| function = Expendable launch system
Sounding rocket
| country-origin = United States
| status = Retired
| sites = LC-576 and SLC-3, VAFB
| manufacturer = Convair
General Dynamics
Lockheed
| success = 56
| fail = 9
| launches = 65
| first = 6 April 1968
| last = 24 March 1995
}}
The Atlas E/F (or SB-1A) was an American expendable launch system and sounding rocket built using parts of decommissioned SM-65 Atlas missiles. It was a member of the Atlas family of rockets.
The first stage was built using parts taken from decommissioned Atlas-E and Atlas-F missiles, with various solid propellant upper stages used depending on the requirements of the payload.[https://web.archive.org/web/20080814122431/http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/atlas.htm Encyclopedia Astronautica - Atlas] The Atlas E/F was also used without an upper stage for a series of re-entry vehicle tests. On a single launch, an RM-81 Agena liquid-propellant upper stage was used.[http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau/atlas_agena.htm Gunter's Space Page - Atlas Agena]
Variants
File:ATLAS F SEASAT A LIFTOFF - NARA - 17420347 (cropped).jpg
File:Atlas-F Burner-2 (Radcat and Radsat).jpg
File:Atlas-F MSD launching Parcae satellites.jpg
File:Atlas-F OV1 (OV1 17, OV1 17A, OV1 18 and OV1 19).jpg
File:An Atlas missile is launched from Complex 3E - DPLA - 7d33d89f858984b07b3a2eb076c2811e.jpeg
File:TIROS-N lifts off carried aloft by an Atlas launch vehicle (2268-233).jpg
File:Atlas-F Trident (86F) with RMP-B 8 (USAF, 22.06.1968).jpg
= Atlas E/F =
Thirty Atlas E/F rockets were launched without upper stages for ABRES and BMRS re-entry vehicle tests between 1965 and 1974.{{Cite web |title=Atlas-E (SM-65E / CGM-16E) ICBM |url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_det/atlas-e.htm |access-date=2024-01-08 |website=Gunter's Space Page |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Atlas-F (SM-65F / HGM-16F) ICBM |url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_det/atlas-f.htm |access-date=2024-01-08 |website=Gunter's Space Page |language=en}} Three of these launches failed. Five ABRES launches were also conducted while the missiles were still operational, but did not use the Atlas E/F configuration.{{citation_needed|date=July 2019}}
= Atlas E/F-Agena =
{{See also|Atlas-Agena}}
An RM-81 Agena upper stage was used on a former Atlas-F, to launch the Seasat satellite on 27 June 1978.{{Cite web |title=Atlas-F Agena-D |url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_det/atlas-f_agena-d.htm |access-date=2024-01-08 |website=Gunter's Space Page |language=en}} This was the final flight of the Atlas-Agena. Previous Atlas-Agena launches were launched on Atlas D or Atlas SLV-3 first stages, but the final Atlas-Agena used an Atlas E/F.{{citation_needed|date=July 2019}}
= Atlas E/F-Altair =
An Atlas E/F with an Altair-3A upper stage was used to launch three Stacksat spacecraft on 11 April 1990.{{Cite web |title=Atlas-E/-F Altair-3A |url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_det/atlas-ef_altair-3.htm |access-date=2024-01-08 |website=Gunter's Space Page |language=en}} The rocket was capable of placing {{cvt|210|kg}} of payload into low Earth orbit.{{citation_needed|date=July 2019}}
= Atlas E/F-Burner =
A Burner-2 upper stage was used on an Atlas E/F to launch the Radsat and Radcat satellites on 2 October 1972.{{Cite web |title=Atlas-E/-F Burner-2 |url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_det/atlas-ef_burner-2.htm |access-date=2024-01-08 |website=Gunter's Space Page |language=en}} The rocket had a payload capacity of {{cvt|950|kg}} to low Earth orbit.{{citation_needed|date=July 2019}}
= Atlas E/F-MSD =
Atlas E/F rockets with a MSD (Multiple Satellite Dispenser) upper stage (FW-4D){{Cite web |title=MSD |url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/noss-1_msd.htm |access-date=2024-10-06 |website=Gunter's Space Page |language=en}} were used for four launches, with Parcae (NOSS) naval reconnaissance satellites between 1976 and 1980.{{Cite web |title=Atlas-E/-F MSD |url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_det/atlas-ef_msd.htm |access-date=2024-01-08 |website=Gunter's Space Page |language=en}} The fourth of these launches failed when one of the booster unit engines shut down early. This configuration had a maximum payload capacity of {{cvt|800|kg}} to LEO.{{citation_needed|date=July 2019}}
= Atlas E/F-OIS =
The OIS upper stage (Star-27){{Cite web |title=Star 27 |url=http://www.astronautix.com/s/star27.html |access-date=2024-09-19 |website=www.astronautix.com}} was used for two Atlas E/F launches in 1979 and 1985, with the Solwind and Geosat spacecraft respectively.{{Cite web |title=Atlas-E/-F OIS |url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_det/atlas-ef_ois.htm |access-date=2024-01-08 |website=Gunter's Space Page |language=en}} The rocket could place {{convert|870|kg}} into low Earth orbit.{{citation_needed|date=July 2019}}
= Atlas E/F-OV1 =
The Atlas E/F was used between 1968 and 1971 to launch four groups of OV1 satellites, using OV1 upper stages powered by a FW-4S (Altair-3) solid rocket motors.{{Cite web |title=Atlas-E/-F OV1 |url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_det/atlas-ef_ov1.htm |access-date=2024-01-08 |website=Gunter's Space Page |language=en}} Each payload had its own upper stage. Three of the launches carried two OV1 satellites, and one carried three. Two of the launches also carried secondary payloads. In this configuration, the rocket could place {{cvt|363|kg}} into LEO.
= Atlas E/F-PTS =
The PTS upper stage (Star-37E){{Cite web |title=Atlas F/PTS |url=http://www.astronautix.com/a/atlasfpts.html |access-date=2024-09-19 |website=www.astronautix.com}} was used to launch the NTS-1 satellite on 14 July 1974.{{Cite web |title=Atlas-E/-F PTS |url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_det/atlas-ef_pts.htm |access-date=2024-01-08 |website=Gunter's Space Page |language=en}} The upper stage gave the vehicle a payload capacity of {{cvt|295|kg}} to a medium Earth transfer orbit.{{citation_needed|date=July 2019}}
= Atlas E/F-SGS =
The SGS upper stage, which consisted of two Star series solid rocket motors, was used on twelve Atlas E/F launches, with early GPS satellites. The first eight used the SGS-1 (Star-37E), which could place {{cvt|455|kg}} of payload into a medium Earth transfer orbit, whereas the last four used the more powerful SGS-2 (Star-48B).{{Cite web |title=Atlas-E/-F SGS-1 (Atlas-E/-F SVS-1) |url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_det/atlas-ef_sgs-1.htm |access-date=2024-01-08 |website=Gunter's Space Page |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Atlas-E/-F SGS-2 (Atlas-E/-F SVS-2) |url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_det/atlas-ef_sgs-2.htm |access-date=2024-01-08 |website=Gunter's Space Page |language=en}} The eighth launch failed.
= Atlas E/F-Star =
A Star-17A was used in the launch of the RM-20 spacecraft on 12 April 1975,{{Cite web |title=Atlas-E/-F Star-17A |url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_det/atlas-ef_star-17a.htm |access-date=2024-01-08 |website=Gunter's Space Page |language=en}} giving the rocket a LEO payload of {{cvt|725|kg}}. The RM-20 launch failed due to damage to the first stage, caused by the explosion of residual fuel in the flame trench during launch. Another launch failed due to stage separation occurring at the correct time despite the first stage burn being extended by fifty seconds to resolve an underperformance issue, the result of which was the upper stage separating and igniting while the first stage was still firing.{{citation_needed|date=July 2019}}
The Star-37S-ISS was used to launch nineteen Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Television Infrared Observation Satellite (TIROS) weather satellites between 1978 and 1995.{{Cite web |title=Atlas-E/-F Star-37S ISS |url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_det/atlas-ef_iss.htm |access-date=2024-01-08 |website=Gunter's Space Page |language=en}} With the Star-37 upper stage, the rocket could place {{cvt|1100|kg}} into a Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO).
= Atlas E/F-Trident =
The Atlas E/F was used with a Trident upper stage, between 1967 and 1971, for suborbital tests of re-entry vehicles. Nineteen were launched, of which two failed.{{Cite web |title=Atlas-E/-F Trident |url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_det/atlas-ef_trident.htm |access-date=2024-01-08 |website=Gunter's Space Page |language=en}}
References
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