 Launch of the last Atlas H with NOSS-9. | |
| Function | Expendable launch system |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Convair General Dynamics |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Retired |
| Launch sites | SLC-3E, Vandenberg |
| Total launches | 5 |
| Success(es) | 5 |
| First flight | 9 February 1983 |
| Last flight | 15 May 1987 |
| Boosters | |
| No. boosters | 1 |
| Powered by | 2 LR-89-7 |
| Total thrust | 1,901.6 kN (427,500 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 293.4 s |
| Burn time | 155 seconds |
| Propellant | RP-1/LOX |
| First stage | |
| Powered by | 1 LR-105-7 |
| Maximum thrust | 386.4 kN (86,900 lbf) Atlas D |
| Specific impulse | 316 s |
| Burn time | 266 seconds |
| Propellant | RP-1/LOX |
The Atlas H was an American expendable launch system derived from the SM-65 Atlas missile.[1] It was a member of the Atlas family of rockets, and was used to launch five clusters of NOSS satellites for the US National Reconnaissance Office.[1] Two flights also carried LiPS satellites, as secondary payloads for the United States Naval Research Laboratory.[1]
The Atlas H was a stage and a half rocket, using the enhanced Atlas rocket designed for use as the first stage of the Atlas G rocket,[2] which differed from the Atlas H in having a Centaur upper stage. This stage was later reused as the first stage of the Atlas I. In practice, an MSD upper stage was flown on all five launches.[3]
Atlas H could put a payload of 3,630 kg (8,000 lb) into low Earth orbit, or a payload of 2,255 kg (4,971 lb) into a geostationary transfer orbit.[1]
