The effects of any budget/program decisions made since the information was collected during 1997-98 are NOT reflected in the National Security Space Road Map (NSSRM).

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(U) Atlas

Description (U):

(U) The Air Force Atlas II medium spacelift system currently launches medium class DoD payloads. To date, Atlas II has successfully orbited six DSCS III satellites, with two more to follow.

(U) Atlas II is a member of the Atlas family of launch vehicles, which evolved from the successful Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile program (ICBM). It is designed to launch payloads into low earth orbit, geosynchronous transfer orbit or geosynchronous orbit. Atlas IIA is a two-and-a-half stage vehicle, primarily used by the Air Force to support the Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS) III program. The Atlas II vehicles are also frequently flown for commercial customers. The Atlas II series uses an improved Centaur upper stage, the world's first high-energy propellant stage, to increase its payload capability. Atlas II also has lower-cost electronics, an improved flight computer and longer propellant tanks than its predecessor, Atlas I, which was developed for commercial users as a result of launch failures in the late 1980s. Atlas II also provides higher performance than Atlas I by using engines with greater thrust and longer fuel tanks for both stages. Atlas propulsion is provided by a Rocketdyne liquid rocket engine set, which consists of two booster engines and one sustainer engine. All three engines provide 494,500 pounds of thrust. Centaur propulsion is provided by a Pratt and Whitney liquid rocket engine set consisting of 2 engines that provide 41,000 pounds of thrust. The total 490,000 pound thrust capability of the Atlas II enables the booster to lift payloads of 6,100 pounds in geosynchronous orbit (22,000 miles-plus). The primary differences from the Atlas II is that it has an upgraded second stage rocket engine provided by Pratt and Whitney and upgraded avionics over the previous Atlas II flown for DSCS III satellites. The first Air Force Atlas II was launched February 10, 1992.

(U) Atlas IIAS - This modification to the Atlas II vehicle includes the addition of four solid rocket motors to provide additional performance for DoD and commercial missions. The first commerical Atlas IIAS was luanched in Dec 93. The first Atlas IIAS mission for the DoD will be launched out of Cape Canaveral Air Station in FY00. Current plans provide for the potential launch of a total of six Atlas IIAS vehicles for DoD.

(U) SLC 3E modifications - The DoD (SAF/SL) is funding the modification of SLC 3E to upgrade the complex for the Atlas II family (IIA and IIAS). The modified launch pad IOC was achieved in Sep 97. This is a major modification and will provide Atlas II launch capability from VAFB for the first time. Pathfinder activities are currently underway to validate launch pad and launch vehicle interfaces. The first launch will be of a NASA satellite in FY99.

User Impact (U):

(U) Provides medium-lift capability to launch surveillance, communications, and exploratory satellites which support commercial, DoD and national requirements.

Programmatics (U):

(U) Operational.

• (U) Termination: 01/2001 (2QFY2001).
  
  (U) The termination date for Atlas is its last launch which is planned for FY01.

Images (U):

This Table Is Unclassified.

Name	Title
Atlas	Atlas II Centaur Launch Vehicle

Related Initiatives (U):

This Table Is Unclassified.

Name	Title
Arnold Engineer Dev Cntr (AEDC)	Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC)
Centaur	Centaur
DSCS III	Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS) III
DSCS Service Life Enhance Prog	Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS) Service Life Enhancement Program (SLEP)
Eastern Range	Eastern Range
FLTSATCOM	Fleet Satellite Communications (FLTSATCOM)
GEOSAT	Geodetic/Geophysical Satellite (GEOSAT)
GOES	Geostationary Operational Earth Satellite (GOES)
POES	Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite (POES)
SBIRS High	Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) High
UHF Follow-on (UFO)	Ultra High Frequency (UHF) Follow-on (UFO)
Western Range	Western Range

Related Requirements (U): None.

Related Categories (U):

This Table Is Unclassified.

Name	Title
Launch	DoD Space Launch Programs
Launch Vehicles	Launch Vehicles
Spacelift	Spacelift

Road Map Placements (U):

This Table Is Unclassified.

Name	Title
Major DoD Space Programs	Evolution of the Selected Space Programs
National Security Space Road Map	Integrated System Road Map
SPACE FORCES SUPPORT	SPACE FORCES SUPPORT

Requirements, Funding and Additional Hotlinks (U):

This Table Is Unclassified.

Name
SMC Launch Home Page
SMC-Fact Sheets
Launch Vehicles-NASA

Lead Office (U):

Air Force.

(U) DoD: USD(A&T) and OASD(C3I), Pentagon, Washington, DC
(U) Service Staff: SAF/AQS, Pentagon, Washington, DC
(U) Major Command: AFMC/SMC, Los Angeles AFB, CA
(U) Program Management: AFPEO/Space, Pentagon, Washington, DC

Point of Contact (U):

(U) Lt Col John Wagner, SMC, Open Phone: DSN 833-3952.

Date Of Information (U):

(U) 04 November 1997

(U) Road Map Production Date: 23 June 2001