Castor (rocket stage)Castor is a family of solid-fuel rocketstages and boosters built by Thiokol (now Northrop Grumman) and used on a variety of launch vehicles. They were initially developed as the second-stage motor of the Scout rocket. The design was based on the MGM-29 Sergeant, a surface-to-surface missile developed for the United States Army at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
RL10The RL10 is a liquid-fuelcryogenic rocket engine built in the United States by Aerojet Rocketdyne that burns cryogenicliquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants. Modern versions produce up to 110 kN (24,700 lbf) of thrust per engine in vacuum. RL10 versions were produced for the Centaurupper stage of the Atlas V and the DCSS of the Delta IV. More versions are in development or in use for the Space Launch System and the Centaur V of the Vulcan rocket.
Atlas IThe Atlas I was a US expendable launch system manufactured by General Dynamics in the 1990s to launch a variety of satellites. It was largely a commercial rebrand of the Atlas G (although it did fly multiple government payloads), but did feature several electrical and guidance improvements. Atlas I did not feature any major payload capacity improvements over its predecessor but did offer a larger payload fairing option. Eleven launches took place, with three failures.Atlas III
Atlas VExpendable launch systemAtlas V 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) 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.
RS-56RS-56 (Rocket System-56) was an American liquid-fueled rocket engine, developed by Rocketdyne. RS-56 was derived from the RS-27 engine, which itself is derived from the H-1 engine used in the Saturn I and Saturn IB. Two variants of this engine were built, both for use on the Atlas II first stage.
Launch vehicleA launch vehicle is typically a rocket-powered vehicle designed to carry a payload (a crewed spacecraft or satellites) from Earth's surface or lower atmosphere to outer space. The most common form is the ballistic missile-shaped multistage rocket, but the term is more general and also encompasses vehicles like the Space Shuttle. Most launch vehicles operate from a launch pad, supported by a launch control center and systems such as vehicle assembly and fueling.
Atlas (rocket family)Atlas is a family of US missiles and space launch vehicles that originated with the SM-65 Atlas. The Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) program was initiated in the late 1950s by General Dynamics through its Convair division.
Defense Satellite Communications SystemThe Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS) is a United States Space Force satellite constellation that provides the United States with military communications to support globally distributed military users. Beginning in 2007, DSCS began being replaced by the Wideband Global SATCOM system. A total of 14 DSCS-III satellites were launched between the early 1980s and 2003. Two satellites were launched aboard the Space ShuttleAtlantis in 1985 during the STS-51-J flight.
Cape Canaveral Space Force StationCape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) is an installation of the United States Space Force's Space Launch Delta 45, located on Cape Canaveral in Brevard County, Florida. Headquartered at the nearby Patrick Space Force Base, the station is the primary launch site for the Space Force's Eastern Range with five launch pads currently active (Space Launch Complexes 36, 39, 40, 41 and 46) and a landing pad within SLC-40 complex (Landing Zone 40).
Low Earth orbitA low Earth orbit (LEO) is an orbit around Earth with a period of 128 minutes or less (making at least 11.25 orbits per day) and an eccentricity less than 0.25. Most of the artificial objects in outer space are in LEO, peaking in number at an altitude around 800 km (500 mi), while the farthest in LEO, before medium Earth orbit (MEO), have an altitude of 2,000 kilometers, about one-third of the radius of Earth and near the beginning of the inner Van Allen radiation belt.
SM-65 AtlasFirst operational American intercontinental ballistic missileThe SM-65 Atlas was the first operational intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) developed by the United States and the first member of the Atlas rocket family. It was built for the U.S. Air Force by the Convair Division of General Dynamics at an assembly plant located in Kearny Mesa, San Diego.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.