![]() The first three would be launched on an Atlas-Agena, then the remainder on Centaur. A constellation of ten satellites would provide round-the-clock instant communications for the three main branches of the US military. However, the Air Force retained overall supervision in part because they intended to use Centaur to launch a network of military communications satellites known as ADVENT. The engines were manufactured by Pratt & Whitney.Īlthough originally under ARPA supervision, Centaur was transferred to NASA in July 1959, eleven months after the program's inception. This was done for time and budget reasons and because it allowed the Centaur to be manufactured on the existing Atlas assembly line at Convair. Centaur development was made somewhat difficult by the insistence on modifying Atlas components rather than developing totally new ones. Originally, Centaur was conceived of as a purely experimental project to develop an experience for larger, more powerful rocket stages so as not to distract Convair's focus on the all-important SM-65 Atlas missile program.Ĭonvair developed a specially-enhanced version of the Atlas D vehicle for mating with Centaur stages the Atlas was equipped with an uprated booster section, the MA-5, which had twin turbopumps on each booster engine, and the structure reinforced for the large upper stage, along with elongated fuel tanks. ![]() The progress made during the aborted venture was picked up by Convair and others for rocket stage use. Air Force's top-secret Lockheed CL-400 Suntan reconnaissance aircraft program in the mid-1950s. The first attempt at using an LH2/LOX-fueled engine was the U.S. Despite boasting high performance, LH2 had to be chilled to extremely low temperatures (lower than LOX) and its low density meant that large fuel tanks were needed. Technical A Centaur stage during assembly at General Dynamics in 1962 Diagram of a Centaur stageĬentaur was the first rocket stage to utilize liquid hydrogen (LH2) and liquid oxygen (LOX) as propellants. The vehicle would be continuously developed and improved into the 1990s, with the last direct descendant being the highly successful Atlas II.Ĭonvair, the manufacturer of the Atlas, developed the Centaur upper stage specifically for that booster, sharing its pressure-stabilized tank structure. After a strenuous flight test program, Atlas-Centaur went on to launch several crucial spaceflight missions for the United States, including Surveyor 1, Mariner 4, and Pioneer 10/ 11. Launches were conducted from Launch Complex 36 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida. The vehicle featured a Centaur upper stage, the first such stage to use high-performance liquid hydrogen as fuel. The Atlas-Centaur was a United States expendable launch vehicle derived from the SM-65 Atlas D missile.
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