Atlas G

Atlas G
Launch of FLTSATCOM-7 on an Atlas G (AC-66).
FunctionExpendable launch system
ManufacturerConvair
General Dynamics
Country of originUnited States
Size
Height43.90m (144.00 ft)
Diameter3.05m (10 ft)
Mass164,300kg (362,200 lb)
Stages2.5
Capacity
Payload to 185 km (115 mi) LEO
Mass5,900 kg (13,000 lb)[1]
Payload to GTO
Mass2,375 kg (5,236 lb)[2]
Associated rockets
FamilyAtlas
Launch history
StatusRetired
Launch sitesLC-36B, Cape Canaveral
Total launches7
Success(es)5
Failure(s)2
First flight9 June 1984
Last flight25 September 1989
Boosters – MA-5[3]
No. boosters1
Powered by2 LR-89-7
Maximum thrust1,901.6 kN (427,500 lbf)[3]
Specific impulse293.4 s (2.877 km/s)
Burn time155 seconds[2]
PropellantRP-1 / LOX
First stage
Powered by1 LR-105-7
Maximum thrust386.4 kN (86,900 lbf)[3]
Specific impulse316 s (3.10 km/s)
Burn time266 seconds[2]
PropellantRP-1 / LOX
Second stage – Centaur
Powered by2 RL-10A
Maximum thrust147 kN (33,000 lbf)
Specific impulse449 s (4.40 km/s)
Burn time410 seconds[2]
PropellantLH2 / LOX

The Atlas G, also known as Atlas G Centaur-D1AR[4][5] was an American expendable launch system derived from the Atlas-Centaur. It was a member of the Atlas family of rockets and was used to launch seven communication satellites during the mid to late 1980s. Atlas G consisted of an improved Atlas core with modernized avionics and stretched propellant tanks. The Centaur stage also had several updated components and other technical improvements. Atlas G flew 7 times, with all missions aiming to go to a geostationary transfer orbit. It was replaced by the near-identical Atlas I, which had an improved guidance system and offered a larger payload fairing.

  1. ^ Gunter D. Krebs. "Atlas-1 (Atlas I)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d General Dynamics (April 1992). "Atlas Mission Planner's Guide". Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Norbert Brügge. "Variants of the "stage and a half" drive system (MA) of the Atlas rocket". Archived from the original on 20 January 2016. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  4. ^ "Atlas-G Centaur-D1AR". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference slr was invoked but never defined (see the help page).