Atlas V#Versions
{{Short description|Expendable launch system}}
{{About|the rocket|the boat|Atlas V (tugboat)}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox rocket
| name = Atlas V
| logo = Atlas V logo.svg
| logo_upright = 0.3
| image = Atlas V(401) launches with LRO and LCROSS cropped.jpg
| caption = Launch of an Atlas V 401 carrying the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and LCROSS space probes on 18 June 2009.
| function = Medium-lift launch vehicle
| manufacturer = United Launch Alliance
| country-origin = United States
| cpl = {{US$|110–153 million}} (2016){{cite web|url=https://www.rocketbuilder.com|title=RocketBuilder|date=2017-03-10|publisher=United Launch Alliance|access-date=2017-03-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203124643/https://www.rocketbuilder.com/|archive-date=2016-12-03|url-status=live}}
| height = Up to {{cvt|58.3|m}}
| diameter = {{cvt|3.81|m}}
| mass = {{cvt|590000|kg}}
| stages = 2
| capacities = {{Infobox rocket/payload
| location = LEO
| inclination = 28.70°
| kilos = {{cvt|8210–18850|kg|}}{{cite web|url=https://www.ulalaunch.com/rockets/atlas-v|title=Atlas V|publisher=United Launch Alliance|access-date=10 December 2022}}
}}
{{Infobox rocket/payload
| location = GTO
| kilos = {{cvt|4750–8900|kg}}
}}
| family = Atlas
| derived_from = Atlas III
| comparable = {{flatlist|
}}
| status = Active, retiring
| sites = {{plainlist|
- Cape Canaveral, SLC-41
- Vandenberg, SLC-3 (until 2022)
}}
| launches = {{collapsible list|title=102{{cite web|url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2019/07/ula-delays-protecting-100-percent-success/|title=ULA delays focused on protecting its 100 percent mission success rate|first= Jared |last=Frankle |date=28 July 2019|publisher=NASASpaceflight.com|access-date=10 December 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nro.gov/Portals/65/documents/news/press/2007/2007-01.pdf|title=NRO satellite successfully launched aboard Atlas V|date=15 June 2007|publisher=National Reconnaissance Office|access-date=20 January 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://www.spaceflightinsider.com/organizations/ula/ula-readies-atlas-v-for-launch-of-nrol-79-reconnaissance-satellite/|title=ULA Readies Atlas V for Launch of NROL-79 Reconnaissance Satellite|date=27 February 2017|website=spaceflightinsider.com|access-date=2 May 2023}}|401: 41|411: 6|421: 9|431: 3|501: 8|511: 1|521: 2|531: 5|541: 9|551: 15|N22: 3}}
| success = {{collapsible list|title=101|401: 40|411: 6|421: 9|431: 3|501: 8|511: 1|521: 2|531: 5|541: 9|551: 15|N22: 3}}
| fail =
| partial = 15 June 2007
| first = 21 August 2002 (Hot Bird 6)
| last = 28 April 2025 (KuiperSat KA‑01)
| stagedata = {{Infobox rocket/stage
| type = booster
| name = AJ-60A{{cite web|title=Atlas V Solid Rocket Motor|url=http://www.rocket.com/atlas-v-solid-rocket-motor|publisher=Aerojet Rocketdyne|access-date=2015-06-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170314072244/http://www.rocket.com/atlas-v-solid-rocket-motor|archive-date=2017-03-14|url-status=dead}}
| number = 0 to 5
| diameter = {{cvt|1.6|m}}
| empty =
| gross = {{cvt|46697|kg}}
| solid = yes
| thrust = {{cvt|1688.4|kN}}
| total =
| SI = {{cvt|279.3|isp}}
| burntime = 94 seconds
}}
{{Infobox rocket/stage
| type = booster
| name = GEM 63{{cite web|url=http://www.northropgrumman.com/Capabilities/GEM/Documents/GEM_63_GEM_63XL.pdf|title=GEM 63/GEM 63XL Fact Sheet|date=5 April 2016|website=northropgrumman.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180918143456/http://www.northropgrumman.com/Capabilities/GEM/Documents/GEM_63_GEM_63XL.pdf|archive-date=18 September 2018|access-date=18 September 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://www.ulalaunch.com/docs/default-source/evolution/190408_ulapanel_all_compressed.pdf|title=Developing Vulcan Centaur|date=8 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190825004201/https://www.ulalaunch.com/docs/default-source/evolution/190408_ulapanel_all_compressed.pdf|archive-date=25 August 2019|access-date=24 August 2019}}
| number = 0 to 5
| diameter = {{cvt|1.6|m|in}}
| empty =
| gross = {{cvt|49300|kg}}
| propmass = {{cvt|44200|kg}}
| solid = yes
| thrust = {{cvt|1663|kN}}
| total =
| SI =
| burntime = 94 seconds
}}
{{Infobox rocket/stage
| type = stage
| stageno = First
| name = Atlas CCB
| length = {{cvt|32.46|m}}
| diameter = {{cvt|3.81|m}}
| empty = {{cvt|21054|kg}}
| gross =
| propmass = {{cvt|284089|kg}}
| engines = 1 × RD-180
| thrust = {{ubl
| {{Abbr|SL|at sea level}}: {{cvt|3827|kN}}
| {{Abbr|vac|in vacuum}}: {{cvt|4152|kN}}
}}
| SI = {{ubl
| {{Abbr|SL|at sea level}}: {{cvt|311.3|isp}}
| {{Abbr|vac|in vacuum}}: {{cvt|337.8|isp}}
}}
| burntime = 253 seconds
}}
{{Infobox rocket/stage
| type = stage
| stageno = Second
| name = Centaur III
| length = {{cvt|12.68|m}}
| diameter = {{cvt|3.05|m}}
| empty = {{cvt|2316|kg}}
| gross =
| propmass = {{cvt|20830|kg}}
| engines = {{nowrap|1 × RL10A}}, {{nowrap|2 × RL10A}} or {{nowrap|1 × RL10C}}
| thrust = {{cvt|99.2|kN}} (RL10A)
| total =
| SI = {{cvt|450.5|isp}} (RL10A)
| burntime = 842 seconds (RL10A)
}}
}}Atlas V{{efn|Pronounced "Atlas five"; "V" is the Roman numeral for 5.}} is an expendable launch system and the fifth major version in the Atlas launch vehicle family. It was developed by Lockheed Martin and has been operated by United Launch Alliance (ULA){{efn|ULA is a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing.}} since 2006. Primarily used to launch payloads for the United States Department of Defense, NASA, and commercial customers, Atlas V is the longest-serving active rocket in the United States.
Each Atlas V vehicle consists of two main stages. The first stage is powered by a single Russian-made RD-180 engine that burns kerosene and liquid oxygen. The Centaur upper stage uses one or two American-made Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10 engines that burn liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. Strap-on solid rocket boosters (SRBs) are used in several configurations. Originally equipped with AJ-60A SRBs, the vehicle switched to Graphite-Epoxy Motor (GEM 63) boosters beginning in November 2020, except for flights in the Boeing Starliner program. Standard payload fairings measure either {{cvt|4.2|m|abbr=on}} or {{cvt|5.4|m|abbr=on}} in diameter, with multiple available lengths.{{cite web |date=March 2010 |title=Atlas V Launch Services User's Guide |url=http://www.unitedlaunchalliance.com/site/docs/product_cards/guides/AtlasVUsersGuide2010.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514051638/http://www.unitedlaunchalliance.com/site/docs/product_cards/guides/AtlasVUsersGuide2010.pdf |archive-date=14 May 2013 |access-date=4 December 2011 |publisher=United Launch Alliance |location=Centennial, Colorado}}
In August 2021, ULA announced that Atlas V would be retired and all remaining launches had been sold. {{As of|2025|04}}, 14 launches remain. Production of the rocket ended in 2024.{{Cite tweet |number=1800818621247008910 |user=@torybruno |title=Bitter sweet. The final Atlas V is making its way through the factory. There are 16 AV missions to go. They will all be built this year, making more room for #Vulcan rate production |first=Tory |last=Bruno |author-link=Tory Bruno}} Future ULA missions will use the Vulcan Centaur launch vehicle,{{cite news |last1=Roulette |first1=Joey |date=26 August 2021 |title=ULA stops selling its centerpiece Atlas V, setting path for the rocket's retirement |url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/8/26/22641048/ula-boeing-lockheed-end-sales-atlas-v-rocket-russia-rd180 |access-date=1 September 2021 |publisher=The Verge}} which was designed in part to comply with a Congressional mandate to phase out use of the Russian-made RD-180 engine.
Vehicle description
The Atlas V was developed by Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services (LMCLS) as part of the U.S. Air Force Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program and made its inaugural flight on 21 August 2002. The vehicle operates from SLC-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS). It also operated from SLC-3E at Vandenberg Space Force Base until 2022. LMCLS continued to market the Atlas V to commercial customers worldwide until January 2018, when United Launch Alliance (ULA) assumed control of commercial marketing and sales.{{cite web|url=http://www.lockheedmartin.com/news/press_releases/2009/1111_ss_cls.html|title=Lockheed Martin Ready For Launch Of Intelsat 14 Spacecraft |date=11 November 2009|publisher=Lockheed Martin|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111217062420/http://www.lockheedmartin.com/news/press_releases/2009/1111_ss_cls.html|archive-date=2011-12-17}}{{cite web|title=United Launch Alliance Assumes Marketing and Sales for Atlas V from Lockheed Martin|url=http://www.parabolicarc.com/2018/01/22/united-launch-alliance-assumes-marketing-sales-atlas-lockheed-martin/|website=parabolicarc.com|date=22 January 2018 |publisher=Parabolic Arc|access-date=19 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180719203417/http://www.parabolicarc.com/2018/01/22/united-launch-alliance-assumes-marketing-sales-atlas-lockheed-martin/|archive-date=19 July 2018|url-status=live}}
= Atlas V first stage =
{{main|Common Core Booster}}
The Atlas V first stage, the Common Core Booster (not to be confused with the Delta IV's Common Booster Core), is {{cvt|3.8|m}} in diameter and {{cvt|32.5|m}} in length. It is powered by one Russian NPO Energomash RD-180 main engine burning {{cvt|284450|kg}} of liquid oxygen and RP-1. The booster operates for about four minutes, providing about {{cvt|4|MN}} of thrust. Thrust can be augmented with up to five Aerojet AJ-60A or Northrop Grumman GEM 63 strap-on solid rocket boosters, each providing an additional {{cvt|1.27|MN}} of thrust for 94 seconds.
The main differences between the Atlas V and earlier Atlas I and II family launch vehicles are:
- The first stage tanks no longer use stainless steel monocoque pressure stabilized "balloon" construction. The tanks are isogrid aluminum and are structurally stable when unpressurized.
- Accommodation points for parallel stages, both smaller solids and identical liquids, are built into first-stage structures.
- The "1.5 staging" technique is no longer used, having been discontinued on the Atlas III with the introduction of the Russian RD-180 engine.{{cite web |url=http://www.ulalaunch.com/site/docs/product_cards/guides/AtlasVUsersGuide2010.pdf|title=Atlas V Launch Services User's Guide|date=March 2010|publisher=United Launch Alliance|pages=1-5 to 1-7|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130407233957/http://www.ulalaunch.com/site/docs/product_cards/guides/AtlasVUsersGuide2010.pdf|archive-date=2013-04-07}}
- The main-stage diameter increased from {{cvt|3.0|to|3.7|m}}.{{cite web |url=https://www.ulalaunch.com/explore/blog/blog/2019/12/13/atlas-v-starliner-oft-by-the-numbers |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726110046/https://www.ulalaunch.com/explore/blog/blog/2019/12/13/atlas-v-starliner-oft-by-the-numbers |archive-date=26 July 2020 |title=Atlas V Starliner OFT: By the Numbers}}
= Centaur III upper stage =
{{main|Centaur (rocket stage)}}
The Centaur III upper stage uses a pressure-stabilized propellant-tank design and cryogenic propellants. The Centaur III was first introduced for use on the Atlas III and was stretched {{cvt|1.7|m}} relative to the Centaur II used on the Atlas II. It is powered by either one or two Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10 engines, each developing a thrust of up to {{cvt|101.8|kN}}. The inertial navigation unit (INU) located on the Centaur provides guidance and navigation for both the Atlas and Centaur and controls both Atlas and Centaur tank pressures and propellant use. The Centaur engines are capable of multiple in-space starts, making possible insertion into low Earth parking orbit, followed by a coast period and then insertion into GTO.{{cite web |date=March 2009 |title=Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle |url=http://www.afspc.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=3643 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427031225/http://www.afspc.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=3643 |archive-date=2014-04-27}} {{PD-notice}} A subsequent third burn following a multi-hour coast can permit direct injection of payloads into geostationary orbit.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}
When the Atlas V was introduced, the Centaur III was alternatively called the Common Centaur, reflecting its use on both the Atlas III and V. {{As of|2006}}, the Centaur III had the highest proportion of burnable propellant relative to total mass of any modern hydrogen upper stage and hence can deliver substantial payloads to a high-energy state.{{cite web |last1=Birckenstaedt |first1=Bonnie |last2=Kutter |first2=Bernard F. |last3=Zegler |first3=Frank |year=2006 |title=Centaur Application to Robotic and Crewed Lunar Lander Evolution |url=http://unitedlaunchalliance.com/site/docs/publications/CentaurApplicationtoRoboticandCrewedLunarLanderEvolution.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514023823/http://unitedlaunchalliance.com/site/docs/publications/CentaurApplicationtoRoboticandCrewedLunarLanderEvolution.pdf |archive-date=2013-05-14 |publisher=American Institute of Physics |page=2}}
= Payload fairing =
Atlas V payload fairings are available in two diameters, depending on satellite requirements. The {{cvt|4.2|m}} diameter fairing,{{cite web|url=http://spaceflight101.com/spacerockets/atlas-v-401/ |title=Atlas V 401 – Rockets|website=spaceflight101.com|access-date=2016-04-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160405084515/http://spaceflight101.com/spacerockets/atlas-v-401|archive-date=2016-04-05 |url-status=live}} originally designed for the Atlas II booster, comes in three different lengths: the original {{cvt|9|m}} version and extended {{cvt|10|and|11|m}} versions, first flown respectively on the AV-008/Astra 1KR and AV-004/Inmarsat-4 F1 missions. Fairings of up to {{cvt|7.2|m}} diameter and {{cvt|32.3|m}} length have been considered but were never implemented.{{cite web |date=March 2010 |title=Atlas V Launch Services User's Guide |url=http://www.unitedlaunchalliance.com/site/docs/product_cards/guides/AtlasVUsersGuide2010.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514051638/http://www.unitedlaunchalliance.com/site/docs/product_cards/guides/AtlasVUsersGuide2010.pdf |archive-date=2013-05-14 |access-date=2011-12-04 |publisher=United Launch Alliance |location=Centennial, Colorado}}
A {{cvt|5.4|m}} diameter fairing, with an internally usable diameter of {{cvt|4.57|m}}, was developed and built by RUAG Space{{cite web|url=https://www.ruag.com/en/products-services/space/launcher-structures-separation-systems/launcher-fairings-structures|title=Launcher Fairings and Structures|publisher=RUAG Space|access-date=12 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170708190523/https://www.ruag.com/en/products-services/space/launcher-structures-separation-systems/launcher-fairings-structures|archive-date=8 July 2017|url-status=live}} in Switzerland. The RUAG fairing uses carbon fiber composite construction and is based on a similar flight-proven fairing for the Ariane 5. Three configurations are manufactured to support the Atlas V: {{cvt|20.7|m}}, {{cvt|23.4|m}}, and {{cvt|26.5|m}} long. While the classic {{cvt|4.2|m}} fairing covers only the payload, the RUAG fairing is much longer and fully encloses both the Centaur upper stage and the payload.{{cite web|url=http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau/atlas-5.htm|title=Atlas-5 (Atlas-V)|publisher=Gunter's Space Page|access-date=2011-08-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427025907/http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau/atlas-5.htm|archive-date=2014-04-27}}
Upgrades
Many systems on the Atlas V have been the subject of upgrade and enhancement both prior to the first Atlas V flight and since that time. Work on a Fault Tolerant Inertial Navigation Unit (FTINU) started in 2001 to enhance mission reliability for Atlas vehicles by replacing the earlier non-redundant navigation and computing equipment with a fault-tolerant unit.{{cite news|url=https://www.militaryaerospace.com/computers/article/16710727/honeywell-awarded-52-million-atlas-v-contract|title= Honeywell awarded US$52 million Atlas V contract|publisher=Military & Aerospace Electronics|date=30 April 2001|access-date=12 November 2022}} The upgraded FTINU first flew in 2006,{{cite web|url=http://www.ulalaunch.com/site/docs/product_cards/guides/AtlasVUsersGuide2010.pdf |title=Atlas V Launch Services User's Guide |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306002859/http://www.ulalaunch.com/site/docs/product_cards/guides/AtlasVUsersGuide2010.pdf| archive-date=6 March 2012|date=2012-03-06|publisher=United Launch Alliance}} and in 2010 a follow-on order for more FTINU units was awarded.{{cite news|url=https://www.space-travel.com/reports/Honeywell_Provides_Guidance_System_For_Atlas_V_Rocket_999.html |title=Honeywell Provides Guidance System For Atlas V Rocket|date=2 August 2010|access-date=12 November 2022|publisher=Space-Travel.com}}
In 2015, ULA announced that the Aerojet Rocketdyne-produced AJ-60A solid rocket boosters (SRBs) then in use on Atlas V would be superseded by new GEM 63 boosters produced by Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems. The extended GEM 63XL boosters will also be used on the Vulcan Centaur launch vehicle that will replace the Atlas V.{{cite news |author=Rhian |first=Jason |date=23 September 2015 |title=ULA selects Orbital ATK's GEM 63/63 XL SRBs for Atlas V and Vulcan boosters |url=http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/organizations/ula/ula-selects-orbital-atks-gem-6363-xl-srbs-for-atlas-v-and-vulcan-boosters/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160111043540/http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/organizations/ula/ula-selects-orbital-atks-gem-6363-xl-srbs-for-atlas-v-and-vulcan-boosters/ |archive-date=11 January 2016 |access-date=31 December 2015 |publisher=Spaceflight Insider}} The first Atlas V launch with GEM 63 boosters happened on 13 November 2020.{{cite web|title=Northrop Grumman Rocket Boosters Help Successfully Launch United Launch Alliance's Atlas V |url=https://news.northropgrumman.com/news/releases/northrop-grumman-rocket-boosters-help-successfully-launch-united-launch-alliances-atlas-v|publisher=Northrop Grumman Newsroom|date=13 November 2020|access-date=19 December 2020}}
Human-rating certification
Proposals and design work to human-rate the Atlas V began as early as 2006, with ULA's parent company Lockheed Martin reporting an agreement with Bigelow Aerospace that was intended to lead to commercial private trips to low Earth orbit (LEO).{{cite news|last=Gaskill|first=Braddock|title=Human Rated Atlas V for Bigelow Space Station details emerge|publisher=NASASpaceFlight.com|date=2007-01-31|url=http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/content/?cid=5008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080314112054/http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/content/?cid=5008|archive-date=2008-03-14}}
Human-rating design and simulation work began in earnest in 2010, with the award of US$6.7 million in the first phase of the NASA Commercial Crew Program (CCP) to develop an Emergency Detection System (EDS).{{cite web |url=http://www.ulalaunch.com/site/pages/News.shtml#/45 |title=NASA Selects United Launch Alliance for Commercial Crew Development Program |date=2010-02-02 |access-date=2011-02-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131207160150/http://www.ulalaunch.com/site/pages/News.shtml |archive-date=2013-12-07}}
As of February 2011, ULA had received an extension to April 2011 from NASA and was finishing up work on the EDS.{{cite news|title=CCDev awardees one year later: where are they now? |url=http://www.newspacejournal.com/2011/02/04/ccdev-awardees-one-year-later-where-are-they-now/|access-date=2011-02-05|newspaper=NewSpace Journal|date=2011-02-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130605111613/http://www.newspacejournal.com/2011/02/04/ccdev-awardees-one-year-later-where-are-they-now/|archive-date=2013-06-05}}
NASA solicited proposals for CCP phase 2 in October 2010, and ULA proposed to complete design work on the EDS. At the time, NASA's goal was to get astronauts to orbit by 2015. Then-ULA President and CEO Michael Gass stated that a schedule acceleration to 2014 was possible if funded.{{cite news|last=Clark|first=Stephen|title=Safety system tested for Atlas and Delta rockets |url=http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1102/13ulaccdev/|access-date=2011-02-14|publisher=Spaceflight Now|date=2011-02-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427030425/http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1102/13ulaccdev/|archive-date=2014-04-27}} Other than the addition of the Emergency Detection System, no major changes were expected to the Atlas V rocket, but ground infrastructure modifications were planned. The most likely candidate for the human-rating was the N02 configuration, with no fairing, no solid rocket boosters, and dual RL10 engines on the Centaur upper stage.
On 18 July 2011, NASA and ULA announced an agreement on the possibility of certifying the Atlas V to NASA's standards for human spaceflight.{{cite web |url=http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/news/releases/2011/release-20110718.txt|date=2011-07-18|publisher=NASA|title=NASA Begins Commercial Partnership With United Launch Alliance|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514041058/http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/news/releases/2011/release-20110718.txt|archive-date=2013-05-14}} {{PD-notice}} ULA agreed to provide NASA with data on the Atlas V, while NASA would provide ULA with draft human certification requirements. In 2011, the human-rated Atlas V was also still under consideration to carry spaceflight participants to the proposed Bigelow Commercial Space Station.{{cite news|url=http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/07/18/7105625-rocket-venture-to-work-with-nasa|last=Boyle|first=Alan |title=Rocket venture to work with NASA|access-date=2011-07-21|publisher=MSNBC Cosmic Log|date=2011-07-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120511055325/http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/07/18/7105625-rocket-venture-to-work-with-nasa|archive-date=2012-05-11}}
In 2011, Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) picked the Atlas V to be the booster for its still-under-development Dream Chaser crewed spaceplane.{{cite news|last=Kelly |first=John|title=Atlas V rising to the occasion|url=http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20110807/COLUMNISTS0405/108070317/1007/spaceblog|access-date=2011-08-10|newspaper=Florida Today|date=2011-08-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427030509/http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20110807/COLUMNISTS0405/108070317/1007/spaceblog|archive-date=2014-04-27|location=Melbourne, Florida|url-status=live}} The Dream Chaser was intended to launch on an Atlas V, fly a crew to the ISS, and land horizontally following a lifting-body reentry. However, in late 2014 NASA did not select the Dream Chaser to be one of the two vehicles selected under the Commercial Crew competition.
On 4 August 2011, Boeing announced that it would use the Atlas V as the initial launch vehicle for its CST-100 crew capsule. CST-100 will take NASA astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) and was also intended to service the proposed Bigelow Commercial Space Station.{{cite press release|title=Boeing selects Atlas V Rocket for Initial Commercial Crew Launches|publisher=Boeing|url=http://boeing.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=1869+title=Boeing|access-date=2011-08-06|date=2011-08-04|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130128092708/http://boeing.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=1869+title=Boeing|archive-date=2013-01-28|location=Houston|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|last=Malik|first=Tariq|title=Boeing Needs Space Pilots for Spaceship & Rocket Test Flights|url=http://www.space.com/12544-boeing-space-test-pilot-rocket-launches-cst-100.html|access-date=2011-08-07 |newspaper=SPACE.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110901080432/http://www.space.com/12544-boeing-space-test-pilot-rocket-launches-cst-100.html|archive-date=2011-09-01|date=2011-08-04|url-status=live}} A three-flight test program was projected to be completed by 2015, certifying the Atlas V/CST-100 combination for human spaceflight operations. The first flight was expected to include an Atlas V rocket integrated with an uncrewed CST-100 capsule, the second flight an in-flight launch abort system demonstration in the middle of that year, and the third flight a crewed mission carrying two Boeing test-pilot astronauts into LEO and returning them safely at the end of 2015. These plans were delayed by many years and morphed along the way so that in the end, the first orbital test flight with no crew materialized in 2019, but it was a failure and needed to be reflown in 2022, the in-flight launch abort system test flight did not materialize, and the third flight, a crewed orbital test flight with two astronauts (in the end NASA's, not Boeing's astronauts) materialized in June 2024 as Boeing Crewed Flight Test. The launch abort system was tested in 2019 in the Boeing Pad Abort Test. The spacecraft launched from a test stand, not from an Atlas V.
In 2014, NASA selected the Boeing Starliner CST-100 spacecraft as part of the Commercial Crew Program. Atlas V is the launch vehicle for Starliner. The first launch of an uncrewed Starliner, the Boeing OFT mission, occurred atop a human-rated Atlas V on the morning of 20 December 2019; the mission failed to meet goals due to a spacecraft failure, though the Atlas V launcher performed well.{{cite news |last1=Pappalardo |first1=Joe |title=Boeing's Starliner Falls Short in Big Blow to NASA's Crewed Program |url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/rockets/a30295321/starliner-test-failure/ |access-date=20 December 2019 |publisher=Popular Mechanics }}{{Cite web |last=Sheetz |first=Michael |date=2019-12-20 |title=Boeing Starliner fails key NASA mission as autonomous flight system malfunctions |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/20/boeings-starliner-flies-into-wrong-orbit-jeopardizing-trip-to-the-international-space-station.html |access-date=2022-06-02 |website=CNBC |language=en}} In 2022, an Atlas V launched an uncrewed Starliner capsule for the second time on Boe-OFT 2 mission; the mission was a success.{{Cite web |title=Boeing Starliner capsule lifts off to space station on second orbital flight test |url=http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-051922a-boeing-starliner-oft2-launch.html |access-date=2022-06-02 |website=collectSPACE.com}}{{Cite web |date=2022-05-25 |title=Starliner concludes OFT-2 test flight with landing in New Mexico |url=https://spacenews.com/starliner-concludes-oft-2-test-flight-with-landing-in-new-mexico/ |access-date=2022-06-02 |website=SpaceNews |language=en-US}}
In June 2024, on Boe-CFT mission, Atlas V carried humans into space for the first time, launching two NASA astronauts to the ISS.{{Cite web |url=https://spacenews.com/starliner-lifts-off-on-crewed-test-flight/ |title=Starliner lifts off on crewed test flight |date=5 June 2024 |access-date=5 June 2024 |archive-date=5 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240605235858/https://spacenews.com/starliner-lifts-off-on-crewed-test-flight/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2024/06/starliner-cft-launch/ |last=Rosenstein|first=Sawyer|title=Boeing's Starliner CFT launches on third attempt |date=5 June 2024| access-date=5 June 2024 }}
Project Kuiper
Amazon selected the Atlas V to launch some of the satellites for Project Kuiper. Project Kuiper will offer a high-speed satellite internet constellation service. The contract signed with Amazon is for all nine remaining available Atlas V rockets. Project Kuiper aims to put thousands of satellites into orbit. ULA is Amazon's first launch provider.{{cite news|last1=Sheetz|first1=Michael |title=Amazon signs with ULA for rockets to launch Jeff Bezos' Kuiper internet satellites|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/19/amazon-signs-ula-rockets-to-launch-bezos-kuiper-internet-satellites.html|access-date=7 July 2021 |publisher=CNBC|date=19 April 2021}} Two Kuiper test satellites were launched on Atlas V in 2023 because their originally-contracted launch vehicles were not available on time. The remaining eight Atlas V Kuiper launches will each carry a full payload of Kuiper satellites. Most of the Kuiper constellation will use other launch vehicles.
Versions
File:Atlas V family (cropped).png
File:Atlas V Launch Vehicle Diagram.png
Each Atlas V booster configuration has a three-digit designation.
The first digit shows the diameter (in meters) of the payload fairing and has a value of "4" or "5" for fairing launches and "N" for crew capsule launches (as no payload fairing is used).
The second digit indicates the number of solid rocket boosters (SRBs) attached to the core of the launch vehicle and can range from "0" through "3" with the {{cvt|4|m}} fairing, and "0" through "5" with the {{cvt|5|m}} fairing. As seen in the first image, all SRB layouts are asymmetrical.
The third digit represents the number of engines on the Centaur stage, either "1" or "2". All of the configurations use the Single Engine Centaur, except for the "N22" which is only used on Starliner crew capsule missions, and uses Dual Engine Centaur.
Atlas V has flown in eleven configurations:{{cite web |last=McDowell |first=Jonathan |date=2010-10-28 |title=Jonathan's Space Report Launch Vehicle Database |url=http://www.planet4589.org/space/lvdb/launch/Atlas5 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211113416/http://www.planet4589.org/space/lvdb/launch/Atlas5 |archive-date=2013-12-11 |access-date=2010-12-11}}
;
{{legend inline|#bbffbb|Active}} {{legend inline|#f9f9f9|Retired}}
class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:1.00em; line-height:1.5em;" |
+ Atlas V configurations |
rowspan=2|Version
!rowspan=2|Fairing !rowspan=2|SRBs !rowspan=2|Centaur !rowspan=2|Launches |
---|
to LEO{{Efn-lr|At an inclination of 28.5°}}
!to GTO |
401
| 4 m | – | 1 | 9,797 | 4,750 | 41 | US$109 million |
411
| 4 m | 1 | 1 | 12,150 | 5,950 | 6 | US$115 million |
421
| 4 m | 2 | 1 | 14,067 | 6,890 | 9 | US$123 million |
431
| 4 m | 3 | 1 | 15,718 | 7,700 | 3 | US$130 million |
501
| 5.4 m | – | 1 | 8,123 | 3,775 | 8 | US$120 million |
511
| 5.4 m | 1 | 1 | 10,986 | 5,250 | 1 | US$130 million |
521
| 5.4 m | 2 | 1 | 13,490 | 6,475 | 2 | US$135 million |
531
| 5.4 m | 3 | 1 | 15,575 | 7,475 | 5 | US$140 million |
541
| 5.4 m | 4 | 1 | 17,443 | 8,290 | 9 | US$145 million |
style="background: #bbffbb"
| 551 | 5.4 m | 5 | 1 | 18,814 | 8,900 | 15 | US$153 million |
style="background: #bbffbb"
| N22{{efn-lr|for Boeing Starliner{{cite tweet|number=787351995078152192|user=barbegan13|title=We are calling the config N22. No payload fairing with the Starliner on board|date=October 15, 2016 |first=Barbara|last=Egan}}}} | None | 2{{efn-lr|Only uses the AJ-60A SRB.{{cite web|url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/05/15/billion-dollar-missile-defense-satellite-ready-for-launch-monday-at-cape-canaveral |title=Billion-dollar missile defense satellite ready for launch Monday in Florida|date=May 15, 2021|first=Stephen|last=Clark|access-date=August 8, 2024|publisher=Spaceflight Now}}}} | 2 | colspan="2" | 13,250 (to ISS){{cite web|url=https://boeing-jtti.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/19123936/atlasvstarliner.pdf|title=Atlas V Starliner |publisher=United Launch Alliance |access-date=September 16, 2024}} | 3 | – |
{{notelist-lr}}
= Launch cost =
Before 2016, pricing information for Atlas V launches was limited. In 2010, NASA contracted with ULA to launch the MAVEN mission on an Atlas V 401 for approximately US$187 million.{{cite web|title=NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for Maven Mission|url=http://mars.nasa.gov/news/whatsnew/index.cfm?FuseAction=ShowNews&NewsID=1454|website=mars.nasa.gov|access-date=7 May 2016|date=21 October 2010}} {{PD-notice}} The 2013 cost of this configuration for the U.S. Air Force under their block buy of 36 launch vehicles was US$164 million.{{cite web|title=ULA Frequently Asked Questions – Launch Costs |url=http://www.ulalaunch.com/faqs-launch-costs.aspx|access-date=7 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324172526/http://www.ulalaunch.com/faqs-launch-costs.aspx|archive-date=24 March 2016}} In 2015, the TDRS-M launch on an Atlas 401 cost NASA US$132.4 million.{{cite web|last1=Northon|first1=Karen|title=NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for TDRS Satellite |url=http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-awards-launch-services-contract-for-next-tracking-data-relay-satellite|website=nasa.gov|access-date=7 May 2016|date=30 October 2015}} {{PD-notice}}
Starting in 2016, ULA provided pricing for the Atlas V through its RocketBuilder website, advertising a base price for each launch vehicle configuration, which ranges from US$109 million for the 401 up to US$153 million for the 551. Each additional SRB adds an average of US$6.8 million to the cost of the launch vehicle. Customers can also choose to purchase larger payload fairings or additional launch service options. NASA and Air Force launch costs are often higher than equivalent commercial missions due to additional government accounting, analysis, processing, and mission assurance requirements, which can add US$30–80 million to the cost of a launch.{{cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2016/11/30/13792816/united-launch-alliance-website-rocket-builder-atlas-v|title=United Launch Alliance unveils website that lets you price out a rocket "like building a car"|last=Grush|first=Loren|date=2016-11-30|publisher=The Verge|access-date=2016-12-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201120251/http://www.theverge.com/2016/11/30/13792816/united-launch-alliance-website-rocket-builder-atlas-v|archive-date=2016-12-01|url-status=live}}
In 2013, launch costs for commercial satellites to GTO averaged about US$100 million, significantly lower than historic Atlas V pricing.{{cite news |author=Clark |first=Stephen |date=24 November 2013 |title=Sizing up America's place in the global launch industry |url=http://spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/007/131124commercial/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203224447/http://spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/007/131124commercial/ |archive-date=2013-12-03 |access-date=25 November 2013 |publisher=Spaceflight Now}} However, after the rise of reusable rockets, the price of an Atlas V [401] has dropped from approximately US$180 million to US$109 million,{{Cite web |last=Roulette |first=Joey |date=2021-08-26 |title=ULA stops selling its centerpiece Atlas V, setting path for the rocket's retirement |url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/8/26/22641048/ula-boeing-lockheed-end-sales-atlas-v-rocket-russia-rd180 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240913064920/https://www.theverge.com/2021/8/26/22641048/ula-boeing-lockheed-end-sales-atlas-v-rocket-russia-rd180 |archive-date=2024-09-13 |access-date=2024-10-07 |website=The Verge |language=en}} in large part due to competitive pressure that emerged in the launch services marketplace during the early 2010s. ULA CEO Tory Bruno stated in 2016 that ULA needs at least two commercial missions each year in order to stay profitable going forward.{{cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/lorenthompson/2016/10/14/ceo-tory-bruno-explains-how-united-launch-alliance-will-stay-ahead-of-competitors/print/|title=CEO Tory Bruno Explains How United Launch Alliance Will Stay Ahead Of Competitors|last=Thompson|first=Loren|newspaper=Forbes|access-date=2016-12-01}} ULA is not attempting to win these missions on purely lowest purchase price, stating that it "would rather be the best value provider".{{cite news|url=http://fortune.com/spacex-ula-lockheed-boeing-rocket-race/|title=The Great Rocket Race|newspaper=Fortune|access-date=2016-12-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201143804/http://fortune.com/spacex-ula-lockheed-boeing-rocket-race/|archive-date=2016-12-01|url-status=live}} In 2016, ULA suggested that customers would have much lower insurance and delay costs because of the high Atlas V reliability and schedule certainty, making overall customer costs close to that of using competitors like the SpaceX Falcon 9.{{cite news |author=Harwood |first=William |date=30 November 2016 |title=ULA unveils 'RocketBuilder' website |url=http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/11/30/ula-unveils-rocketbuilder-website/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161202040122/http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/11/30/ula-unveils-rocketbuilder-website/ |archive-date=2 December 2016 |access-date=1 December 2016 |publisher=Spaceflight Now}}
= Historically proposed versions =
In 2006, ULA offered an Atlas V Heavy option that would use three Common Core Booster (CCB) stages strapped together to lift a {{cvt|29400|kg}} payload to low Earth orbit.{{cite web|title=Atlas V Product Card|publisher=United Launch Alliance|url=http://www.ulalaunch.com/site/pages/Products_AtlasV.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140330140202/http://www.ulalaunch.com/site/pages/Products_AtlasV.shtml|archive-date=2014-03-30}} ULA stated at the time that 95% of the hardware required for the Atlas V Heavy has already been flown on the Atlas V single-core vehicles. The lifting capability of the proposed launch vehicle was to be roughly equivalent to the Delta IV Heavy, which used RS-68 engines developed and produced domestically by Aerojet Rocketdyne.
A 2006 report, prepared by the RAND Corporation for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, stated that Lockheed Martin had decided not to develop an Atlas V heavy-lift vehicle (HLV).{{cite book
|url=https://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2006/RAND_MG503.pdf|title=National Security Space Launch Report|publisher=RAND Corporation|year=2006|page=29
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023080432/https://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2006/RAND_MG503.pdf|archive-date=2012-10-23}} The report recommended for the U.S. Air Force and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) to "determine the necessity of an EELV heavy-lift variant, including development of an Atlas V Heavy", and to "resolve the RD-180 issue, including coproduction, stockpile, or United States development of an RD-180 replacement".{{cite book|url=https://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2006/RAND_MG503.pdf|title=National Security Space Launch Report|publisher=RAND Corporation|year=2006|page=xxi|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023080432/https://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2006/RAND_MG503.pdf|archive-date=2012-10-23}}
In 2010, ULA stated that the Atlas V Heavy variant could be available to customers 30 months from the date of order.
;Atlas V PH2
In late 2006, the Atlas V program gained access to the tooling and processes for 5-meter-diameter stages used on Delta IV when Boeing and Lockheed Martin space operations were merged into the United Launch Alliance. This led to a proposal to combine the 5-meter-diameter Delta IV tankage production processes with dual RD-180 engines, resulting in the Atlas Phase 2.
An Atlas V PH2-Heavy consisting of three 5-meter stages in parallel with six RD-180s was considered in the Augustine Report as a possible heavy lifter for use in future space missions, as well as the Shuttle-derived Ares V and Ares V Lite. If built, the Atlas PH2-Heavy was projected to be able to launch a payload mass of approximately {{cvt|70|MT}} into an orbit of 28.5° inclination.[http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/396093main_HSF_Cmte_FinalReport.pdf HSF Final Report: Seeking a Human Spaceflight Program Worthy of a Great Nation] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091122095823/http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/396093main_HSF_Cmte_FinalReport.pdf|date=2009-11-22}} October 2009 Review of U.S. Human Spaceflight Plans Committee graphic on p. 64, retrieved 2011-02-07. {{PD-notice}}
;Booster for GX rocket
The Atlas V Common Core Booster was to have been used as the first stage of the joint US-Japanese GX rocket, which was scheduled to make its first flight in 2012.{{cite web|url=https://www.ihi.co.jp/var/ezwebin_site/storage/original/application/39643f92ec27734cc0aa746f166ddbc9.pdf|title=Development of the GX Launch Vehicle, New Medium Class Launch Vehicle of Japan|publisher=IHI Engineering Review|access-date=11 November 2022}} GX launches would have been from the Atlas V launch complex at Vandenberg Air Force Base, SLC-3E. However, the Japanese government decided to cancel the GX project in December 2009.{{cite news|url=http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews/articleid/3716870|title=Japan scraps GX rocket development project|publisher=iStockAnalyst|date=2009-12-16|access-date=2009-12-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306095016/http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews/articleid/3716870|archive-date=2014-03-06}}
;Out-licensing rejected by ULA
In May 2015, a consortium of companies, including Aerojet and Dynetics, sought to license the production or manufacturing rights to the Atlas V using the Aerojet Rocketdyne AR1 engine in place of the RD-180. The proposal was rejected by ULA.{{cite news |author=Gruss |first=Mike |date=12 May 2015 |title=Aerojet on Team Seeking Atlas 5 Production Rights |url=http://spacenews.com/aerojet-led-team-seeks-atlas-5-production-rights/ |publisher=SpaceNews}}
Atlas V launches
{{further|List of Atlas launches}}
{{clear left}}
{{Sticky header}}
ULA has stopped selling the Atlas V. It will fly 14 more launches.{{Cite web|url=https://www.techtimes.com/articles/264649/20210826/ula-atlas-v-retire-29-missions-boeing-lockheeds-venture-now.htm|title=ULA Atlas V to Retire After 29 Missions, Boeing-Lockheed's Venture Now Stops Sale of Rocket|date=26 August 2021}}
For planned launches, see List of Atlas launches (2020–2029).
= Notable missions =
The first payload, the Hot Bird 6 communications satellite, was launched to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) on 21 August 2002 by an Atlas V 401.{{cite web|title=Status: Hotbird 6|url=https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/563|publisher=NextSpaceFlight.com|access-date=12 November 2022}}
On 12 August 2005, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter was launched aboard an Atlas V 401 launch vehicle from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS). The Centaur upper stage of the launch vehicle completed its burns over a 56-minute period and placed MRO into an interplanetary transfer orbit towards Mars.
On 19 January 2006, New Horizons was launched by a Lockheed Martin Atlas V 551 rocket. A third stage was added to increase the heliocentric (escape) speed. This was the first launch of the Atlas V 551 configuration with five solid rocket boosters, and the first Atlas V with a third stage.{{cite web|title=New Horizons Pluto Kuiper Belt Flyby|url=https://solarviews.com/eng/newhorizons.htm|access-date=12 November 2022|publisher=solarviews.com}}
On 6 December 2015, Atlas V lifted its heaviest payload to date into orbit – a {{cvt|16517|lb}} Cygnus resupply craft.{{cite web|title=Atlas 5 rocket sends Cygnus in hot pursuit of space station|url=http://spaceflightnow.com/2015/12/06/atlas-5-rocket-sends-cygnus-in-hot-pursuit-of-space-station/|access-date = 2015-12-07|first=Justin|last=Ray|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151212012423/http://spaceflightnow.com/2015/12/06/atlas-5-rocket-sends-cygnus-in-hot-pursuit-of-space-station/|archive-date=2015-12-12|url-status=live}}
On 8 September 2016, the OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission was launched on an Atlas V 411 launch vehicle. It arrived at the asteroid Bennu in December 2018 and departed back to Earth in May 2021 to arrive September 2022 at with a sample ranging from 60 grams to 2 kilograms in 2023.{{Cite web |date=2015-02-20 |title=OSIRIS-REx |url=http://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex |access-date=2022-10-09 |website=NASA}}
Five Boeing X-37B spaceplane missions were successfully launched with the Atlas V. The flights are launched on Atlas V 501s from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The X-37B, also known as the Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV), is a reusable robotic spacecraft operated by USAF that can autonomously conduct landings from orbit to a runway. The first Vandenberg Air Force Base landing at the Space Shuttle {{cvt|15000|ft}} runway occurred in December 2010.{{cite news|title=X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle lands at Vandenberg AFB|url=https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/114795/x-37b-orbital-test-vehicle-lands-at-vandenberg-afb/|date=3 December 2010|publisher=U.S. Air Force|access-date=12 November 2022}} Landings occur at both Vandenberg and Cape Canaveral depending on mission requirements.{{cite web|title=X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle|url=https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104539/x-37b-orbital-test-vehicle/#:~:text=All%20five%20missions%20launched%20from,at%20Kennedy%20Space%20Center%2C%20Fla.|publisher=U.S. Air Force|access-date=12 November 2022|archive-date=10 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230210102104/https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104539/x-37b-orbital-test-vehicle/#:~:text=All%20five%20missions%20launched%20from,at%20Kennedy%20Space%20Center%2C%20Fla.|url-status=dead}}
On 20 December 2019, the first Starliner crew capsule was launched in Boe-OFT un-crewed test flight. The Atlas V launch vehicle performed flawlessly but an anomaly with the spacecraft left it in a wrong orbit. The orbit was too low to reach the flight's destination of ISS, and the mission was subsequently cut short.
= Mission success record =
In its 100 launches (as of June 2024), starting with its first launch in August 2002, Atlas V has achieved a 100% mission success rate and a 99% vehicle success rate.{{cite web|date=2019-07-28 |title=ULA delays focused on protecting its 100 percent mission success rate|url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2019/07/ula-delays-protecting-100-percent-success/|access-date=2020-08-30|website=nasaspaceflight.com}}
The first anomalous event in the use of the Atlas V launch system occurred on 15 June 2007, when the engine in the Centaur upper stage of an Atlas V shut down early, leaving its payload – a pair of NROL-30 ocean surveillance satellites – in a lower than intended orbit. The cause of the anomaly was traced to a leaky valve, which allowed fuel to leak during the coast between the first and second burns. The resulting lack of fuel caused the second burn to terminate 4 seconds early.{{cite web|url=https://www.losangeles.spaceforce.mil/?id=123059386|title=Air Force Issues Second Update Regarding Atlas V Centaur Upper Stage Anomaly Review|publisher=U.S. Air Force|date=2 July 2007|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223105812/http://www.losangeles.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123059386|archive-date=2014-02-23}} {{PD-notice}} Replacing the valve led to a delay in the next Atlas V launch.{{cite news |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/floridatoday/access/1723299381.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Sep+2%2C+2007&author=PATRICK+PETERSON&pub=Florida+Today&edition=&startpage=A.3&desc=Faulty+valve+pushes+back+Atlas+5+launch|title=Faulty valve pushes back Atlas 5 launch |newspaper=Florida Today|first=Patrick|last=Peterson|date=2 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025230355/https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/floridatoday/access/1723299381.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS%3AFT&date=Sep+2%2C+2007&author=PATRICK+PETERSON&pub=Florida+Today&edition=&startpage=A.3&desc=Faulty+valve+pushes+back+Atlas+5+launch|archive-date=2012-10-25|url-status=dead}} However, the customer (the National Reconnaissance Office) categorized the mission as a success.{{cite press release|date=15 June 2007|url=http://www.nro.gov/news/press/2007/2007-01.pdf|title=NRO satellite successfully launched aboard Atlas V|publisher=NRO|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130217195710/http://www.nro.gov/news/press/2007/2007-01.pdf|archive-date=2013-02-17}} {{PD-notice}}{{cite press release|date=18 June 2007|url=http://www.nro.gov/news/press/2007/2007-02.pdf|title=NROL-30 launch update|publisher=NRO|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130217191851/http://www.nro.gov/news/press/2007/2007-02.pdf|archive-date=2013-02-17}} {{PD-notice}}
A flight on 23 March 2016, suffered an underperformance anomaly on the first-stage burn and shut down 5 seconds early. The Centaur proceeded to boost the Orbital Cygnus payload, the heaviest on an Atlas to date, into the intended orbit by using its fuel reserves to make up for the shortfall from the first stage. This longer burn cut short a later Centaur disposal burn.{{cite press release|date=24 March 2016 |url=http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/03/24/atlas-5-rocket-forced-to-improvise-during-tuesdays-climb-to-orbit/|title=Atlas 5 forced to improvise during Tuesday's climb to orbit|publisher=Spaceflight Now|access-date=28 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328121830/http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/03/24/atlas-5-rocket-forced-to-improvise-during-tuesdays-climb-to-orbit/|archive-date=28 March 2016 |url-status=live}} An investigation of the incident revealed that this anomaly was due to a fault in the main engine mixture-ratio supply valve, which restricted the flow of fuel to the engine. The investigation and subsequent examination of the valves on upcoming missions led to a delay of the next several launches.{{cite web|url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2016/05/03/new-lineup-plan-spelled-out-for-upcoming-atlas-5-rocket-launches/|title=New lineup spelled out for upcoming Atlas 5 rocket launches from the Cape|last=Ray|first=Justin|publisher=Spaceflight Now|access-date=2016-05-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507012300/http://spaceflightnow.com/2016/05/03/new-lineup-plan-spelled-out-for-upcoming-atlas-5-rocket-launches/|archive-date=2016-05-07|url-status=live}}
= Notable payloads =
{{Div col|colwidth=20}}
- Boeing Starliner
- Boeing X-37
- ELaNa
- Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite
- GPS
- Inmarsat
- InSight
- Juno
- Lucy
- Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
- Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite
- Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
- Curiosity
- Perseverance and Ingenuity
- MAVEN
- MUOS-1 (200th Centaur upper stage launch)
- New Horizons
- NROL launches
- OSIRIS-REx
- Solar Dynamics Observatory
- Solar Orbiter
- Space Test Program
- USA-212
{{Div col end}}
Replacement with Vulcan
{{main|Vulcan Centaur}}
In 2014, geopolitical and U.S. political considerations because of the Russian annexation of Crimea led to an effort to replace the Russian-supplied NPO Energomash RD-180 engine used on the first-stage booster of the Atlas V. Formal study contracts were issued in June 2014 to a number of U.S. rocket-engine suppliers. The results of those studies led to a decision by ULA to develop the new Vulcan Centaur launch vehicle to replace the existing Atlas V and the Delta IV.{{cite news |author=Gruss |first=Mike |date=13 April 2015 |title=ULA's Next Rocket To Be Named Vulcan |url=http://spacenews.com/ulas-next-rocket-to-be-named-vulcan/ |publisher=SpaceNews}}
Although ULA intended to complete development of Vulcan by 2019, development took longer than expected and the first Vulcan launch was on 8 January 2024.{{Cite news |last=Belam |first=Martin |date=2024-01-08 |title=Nasa Peregrine 1 launch: Vulcan Centaur rocket carrying Nasa moon lander lifts off in Florida – live updates |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/live/2024/jan/08/nasa-peregrine-1-launch-rocket-moon-latest-news-updates-live |access-date=2024-01-08 |work=the Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite web |title=Explosive test pushes 1st ULA Vulcan rocket launch to at least June, CEO says |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/explosive-test-pushes-1st-ula-vulcan-rocket-launch-to-at-least-june-ceo-says/ar-AA1a9YhV |access-date=2023-04-28 |website=MSN |language=en-US}}
In September 2014, ULA announced a partnership with Blue Origin to develop the BE-4 LOX/methane engine to replace the RD-180 on a new first-stage booster. As the Atlas V core is designed around RP-1 fuel and cannot be retrofitted to use a methane-fueled engine, a new first stage was developed. This booster has the same first-stage tankage diameter as the Delta IV and is powered by two {{cvt|2400|kN}} thrust BE-4 engines.{{cite news|last1=Ferster|first1=Warren|title=ULA To Invest in Blue Origin Engine as RD-180 Replacement |url=http://www.spacenews.com/article/launch-report/41901ula-to-invest-in-blue-origin-engine-as-rd-180-replacement|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140918114236/http://www.spacenews.com/article/launch-report/41901ula-to-invest-in-blue-origin-engine-as-rd-180-replacement|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 September 2014|date=2014-09-17|publisher=SpaceNews|access-date=2014-09-19}}{{cite news |author=Gruss |first=Mike |date=13 April 2015 |title=ULA's Vulcan Rocket To be Rolled out in Stages |url=http://spacenews.com/ulas-vulcan-rocket-to-be-rolled-out-in-stages/ |publisher=SpaceNews}}{{cite news |first=Amy|last=Butler|url=http://aviationweek.com/space/industry-team-hopes-resurrect-atlas-v-post-rd-180|title=Industry Team Hopes To Resurrect Atlas V Post RD-180 |publisher=Aviation Week & Space Technology|date=11 May 2015|access-date=12 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150512205445/http://aviationweek.com/space/industry-team-hopes-resurrect-atlas-v-post-rd-180|archive-date=12 May 2015|url-status=live}}
Vulcan uses the Centaur V developed for it instead of the Centaur III used on Atlas V.{{Cite web|last=Foust|first=Jeff|date=11 September 2020|title=ULA studying long-term upgrades to Vulcan|url=https://spacenews.com/ula-studying-long-term-upgrades-to-vulcan/}} It also uses two, four, or six optional solid rocket boosters, called the GEM 63XL, derived from the GEN 63 solid boosters used on Atlas V.
= Retirement =
In August 2021, ULA announced that they are no longer selling launches on the Atlas V and they would fulfill their 29 existing launch contracts.{{cite news |last1=Roulette |first1=Joey |date=26 August 2021 |title=ULA stops selling its centerpiece Atlas V, setting path for the rocket's retirement |url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/8/26/22641048/ula-boeing-lockheed-end-sales-atlas-v-rocket-russia-rd180 |access-date=1 September 2021 |publisher=The Verge}} They made a final purchase of the RD-180 motors they needed and the last of those motors were delivered in April 2021. The last launch will occur "some time in the mid-2020s". {{as of|2024|07}}, fourteen missions have flown since the announcement,{{efn|the first mission after the announcement was mission 88. See table for the later launches.}} and fifteen launches remain.
Photo gallery
File:Atlas V rocket raised.jpg|Core stage of an Atlas V being raised to a vertical position.
File:Boeing X-37B inside payload fairing before launch.jpg|X-37B OTV-1 (Orbital Test Vehicle) being encased in its payload fairing for its 22 April 2010, launch.
File:Mars Science Laboratory Atlas V rocket AV-028 rollout to SLC-41.jpg|An Atlas V 541 is moved to the launch pad.
File:TDRS-L on launch pad.jpg|Atlas V 401 on launch pad
File:Atlas V Ignition for TDRS-L Launch.jpg|Atlas V ignition
File:New Horizons launch.jpg|An Atlas V 551 with the New Horizons probe launches from Launch Pad 41 in Cape Canaveral.
== See also ==
{{Commons}}
{{Wikinews|NASA launches two space probes to the moon}}
{{colbegin}}
Comparable rockets:
- Angara
- Ariane 5
- Delta IV
- Falcon 9
- Falcon Heavy
- GSLV Mk III
- H-IIA
- H-IIB
- Long March 5
- Proton
- Vulcan Centaur
- Zenit
- Medium-lift launch vehicle
- Comparison of orbital launchers families
- Comparison of orbital launch systems
{{colend}}
Notes
{{Notelist}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20140330140202/http://www.ulalaunch.com/site/pages/Products_AtlasV.shtml ULA Atlas V data sheets]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20160409203927/http://www.ulalaunch.com/uploads/docs/Atlas500_Cutaway.pdf Atlas 500 series cutaway]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20150106030217/http://www.ulalaunch.com/uploads/docs/Atlas400_Cutaway.pdf Atlas 400 series cutaway]
- [https://www.rocketbuilder.com ULA Atlas V RocketBuilder]
- [http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/products/atlas.html Lockheed Martin: Atlas Launch Vehicles]
{{Orbital launch systems}}
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{{United Launch Alliance}}
{{Atlas rockets}}
{{Orbital launch systems}}
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{{RD-170 rocket engine family}}
{{Lockheed Martin}}
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{{Boeing Starliner}}
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Category:Lockheed Martin space launch vehicles
Category:Atlas (rocket family)