 Launch of Atlas 11A from LC-12 at CCAS | |
| Function | Prototype ICBM |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Convair |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Retired |
| Launch sites | LC-12 & LC-14, CCAFS |
| Total launches | 8 |
| Success(es) | 4 |
| Failure(s) | 4 |
| First flight | 11 June 1957 |
| Last flight | 3 June 1958 |
| Boosters | |
| No. boosters | 1 |
| Powered by | 2 XLR-89-1 |
| Total thrust | 341,128 lbf (1,517.41 kN) |
| Specific impulse | 282 s |
| Burn time | 133 s |
| Propellant | RP-1/LOX |
The Convair SM-65A Atlas, or Atlas A, was the first full-scale prototype of the Atlas missile, which first flew on 11 June 1957. Unlike later versions of the Atlas missile, the Atlas A did not feature the stage and a half design. Instead, the booster engines were fixed in place, and the sustainer engine was omitted. The propulsion system used on the initial Atlas As was an early version of the Rocketdyne MA-1 engines with conical thrust chambers that produced a mere 135,000 pounds of thrust, compared with the 360,000 pounds of the fully operational Atlas D. Several pieces of hardware found on the operational Atlas were either missing on the A-series or only partially implemented. Powered flight on the A-series would last about two minutes and compared to later Atlases, long pad hold-down times, with up to 11 seconds between engine start and launcher release.
The first three Atlases built were used merely for static firing tests with Missile 4A being the first flight article. It was delivered to Cape Canaveral in December 1956 and erected on LC-14 in March 1957, where it sat until the following summer.