Lockheed Martin has unveiled its latest launcher – the Atlas III, based on the Atlas IIAR and IIARC models.
“As we begin offering launch services on the third generation of
commercial Atlas vehicles, it is appropriate to give this new family of
rockets a designation that sets it apart from its worthy predecessors and
points to the added capability that will provide mission success for our many
domestic and international customers,” said Dr. Raymond S. Colladay, president
of Lockheed Martin Astronautics.
The defining characteristic of Atlas III vehicles is the use of the
Russian-designed RD-180 engine to power the Atlas booster. Atlas IIIB extends
the performance capability of the vehicle to 9,920 pounds (4,500 kg) to
geostationary transfer orbit, an increase of 1,720 pounds (771 kg) over the
Atlas IIAS, the most powerful version of the Atlas II family presently flying.
Atlas IIIA, previously Atlas IIAR, is proceeding through development on
its way to initial launch capability (ILC) late this year. The first Atlas
IIIA began final assembly in mid-March at Astronautics’ facilities near
Denver, Colo. It makes use of the RD-180 engine to power the booster phase,
and a single RL-1OA engine to power the Centaur upper stage.
Atlas IIIB, previously Atlas IIARC, incorporates two RL-10A engines to
power a stretched version of the Centaur. The significant increase in
performance of Atlas IIIB is achieved with technically minimal modifications
to the basic Atlas IIIA.
“Atlas IIIB is another step Lockheed Martin is taking to be responsive to
the market by answering the need for increased performance,” said Charles H.
Lloyd, International Launch Services, president. “We see these incremental
steps in Atlas evolution as offering our customers the greatest assurance for
mission success because they grow out of the proven Atlas design legacy.”
International Launch Services (ILS) markets Atlas to the worldwide
satellite launch market. ILS is offering Atlas IIIA for launch opportunities
beginning in 1999 and Atlas IIIB for launch opportunities beginning in mid-
2000.
The Russian-designed RD-180 engine, which powers the Atlas III vehicles
and also the company’s Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle for the U.S. Air
Force, is currently undergoing extensive testing at NPO Energomash facilities
in Khimky, Russia, where nine engines have been successfully test fired for a
total of more than 9,000 seconds. This is the equivalent of more than 48
Atlas IIIA flights when compared to the 186 seconds the engine would operate
during a typical Atlas mission.
Astronautics has established an international teaming relationship with
the RD AMROSS joint venture, that was formed by NPO Energomash and Pratt &
Whitney, an operating unit of United Technologies Corporation to co-produce
the RD-180 engines under exclusive contract for Lockheed Martin.
In May, a prototype Atlas III booster stage, including an RD-180 engine,
will be fired on a test stand at the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration’s (NASA) Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. This
will be the first Russian-built rocket engine to be test fired at a
U.S. government facility.
Atlas now has a backlog of 23 launch commitments through the year 2001 and
has launched a total of 47 satellites since the rocket was first offered as a
commercial launcher in the 1980s.
Atlas is marketed by International Launch Services (ILS), a joint venture
company established in 1995 to jointly market the Russian Proton and the
Lockheed Martin Astronautics-built Atlas to the worldwide satellite launch
market. ILS is owned by Lockheed Martin Corporation’s Commercial Launch
Services and the company’s LKEI joint venture with Khrunichev and RSC Energia
in Russia. Proton is built by Khrunichev State Research and Production Space
Center in Moscow. The backlog for Atlas and Proton totals more than $3.5
billion.
