| Atlas V | |||||||||
| Logo Upright: | 0.3 | ||||||||
| Function: | Medium-lift launch vehicle | ||||||||
| Manufacturer: | United Launch Alliance | ||||||||
| Country-Origin: | United States | ||||||||
| Cpl: | (2016)[1] | ||||||||
| Height: | Up to | ||||||||
| Stages: | 2 | ||||||||
| Capacities: |
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| Family: | Atlas | ||||||||
| Derived From: | Atlas III | ||||||||
| Status: | Active, retiring | ||||||||
| Sites: |
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| Partial: | 15 June 2007 | ||||||||
| First: | 21 August 2002 (Hot Bird 6) | ||||||||
| Last: | 30 July 2024 (USSF-51) | ||||||||
| Stagedata: |
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Atlas V is an expendable launch system and the fifth major version in the Atlas launch vehicle family. It was designed by Lockheed Martin and has been operated by United Launch Alliance (ULA) since 2006. It is used for DoD, NASA, and commercial payloads. It is America's longest-serving active rocket. After 87 launches, in August 2021 ULA announced that Atlas V would be retired, and all 29 remaining launches had been sold., 15 launches remain. Production ceased in 2024.[7] Other future ULA launches will use the Vulcan Centaur rocket.[8]
Each Atlas V launch vehicle consists of two main stages. The first stage is powered by a single Russian RD-180 engine burning kerosene and liquid oxygen. The Centaur upper stage is powered by one or two American RL10 engine(s) manufactured by Aerojet Rocketdyne and burns liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. Strap-on solid rocket boosters (SRBs) are used in most configurations. AJ-60A SRBs were used originally, but they were replaced in November 2020 by Graphite-Epoxy Motor (GEM 63) SRBs for all except Starliner launches. The standard payload fairings are in diameter with various lengths.[9]
The Atlas V was developed by Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services (LMCLS) as part of the U.S. Air Force Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program and made its inaugural flight on 21 August 2002. The vehicle operates from SLC-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS). It also operated from SLC-3E at Vandenberg Space Force Base until 2022. LMCLS continued to market the Atlas V to commercial customers worldwide until January 2018, when United Launch Alliance (ULA) assumed control of commercial marketing and sales.[10] [11]
See main article: Common Core Booster.
The Atlas V first stage, the Common Core Booster (not to be confused with the Delta IV's Common Booster Core), is in diameter and in length. It is powered by one Russian NPO Energomash RD-180 main engine burning of liquid oxygen and RP-1. The booster operates for about four minutes, providing about of thrust. Thrust can be augmented with up to five Aerojet AJ-60A or Northrop Grumman GEM 63 strap-on solid rocket boosters, each providing an additional of thrust for 94 seconds.
The main differences between the Atlas V and earlier Atlas I and II family launch vehicles are:
See main article: Centaur (rocket stage).
The Centaur upper stage uses a pressure-stabilized propellant-tank design and cryogenic propellants. The Centaur stage for Atlas V is stretched relative to the Atlas IIAS Centaur and is powered by either one or two Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10A-4-2 engines, each engine developing a thrust of . The inertial navigation unit (INU) located on the Centaur provides guidance and navigation for both the Atlas and Centaur and controls both Atlas and Centaur tank pressures and propellant use. The Centaur engines are capable of multiple in-space starts, making possible insertion into low Earth parking orbit, followed by a coast period and then insertion into GTO.[14] A subsequent third burn following a multi-hour coast can permit direct injection of payloads into geostationary orbit.
, the Centaur vehicle had the highest proportion of burnable propellant relative to total mass of any modern hydrogen upper stage and hence can deliver substantial payloads to a high-energy state.[15]
Atlas V payload fairings are available in two diameters, depending on satellite requirements. The diameter fairing,[16] originally designed for the Atlas II booster, comes in three different lengths: the original version and extended versions, first flown respectively on the AV-008/Astra 1KR and AV-004/Inmarsat-4 F1 missions. Fairings of up to diameter and length have been considered but were never implemented.[9]
A diameter fairing, with an internally usable diameter of, was developed and built by RUAG Space[17] in Switzerland. The RUAG fairing uses carbon fiber composite construction and is based on a similar flight-proven fairing for the Ariane 5. Three configurations are manufactured to support the Atlas V:,, and long.[17] While the classic fairing covers only the payload, the RUAG fairing is much longer and fully encloses both the Centaur upper stage and the payload.[18]
Many systems on the Atlas V have been the subject of upgrade and enhancement both prior to the first Atlas V flight and since that time. Work on a Fault Tolerant Inertial Navigation Unit (FTINU) started in 2001 to enhance mission reliability for Atlas vehicles by replacing the earlier non-redundant navigation and computing equipment with a fault-tolerant unit.[19] The upgraded FTINU first flew in 2006,[20] and in 2010 a follow-on order for more FTINU units was awarded.[21]
In 2015, ULA announced that the Aerojet Rocketdyne-produced AJ-60A solid rocket boosters (SRBs) then in use on Atlas V would be superseded by new GEM 63 boosters produced by Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems. The extended GEM 63XL boosters will also be used on the Vulcan Centaur launch vehicle that will replace the Atlas V.[22] The first Atlas V launch with GEM 63 boosters happened on 13 November 2020.[23]
Proposals and design work to human-rate the Atlas V began as early as 2006, with ULA's parent company Lockheed Martin reporting an agreement with Bigelow Aerospace that was intended to lead to commercial private trips to low Earth orbit (LEO).[24]
Human-rating design and simulation work began in earnest in 2010, with the award of US$6.7 million in the first phase of the NASA Commercial Crew Program (CCP) to develop an Emergency Detection System (EDS).[25]
As of February 2011, ULA had received an extension to April 2011 from NASA and was finishing up work on the EDS.[26]
NASA solicited proposals for CCP phase 2 in October 2010, and ULA proposed to complete design work on the EDS. At the time, NASA's goal was to get astronauts to orbit by 2015. Then-ULA President and CEO Michael Gass stated that a schedule acceleration to 2014 was possible if funded.[27] Other than the addition of the Emergency Detection System, no major changes were expected to the Atlas V rocket, but ground infrastructure modifications were planned. The most likely candidate for the human-rating was the N02 configuration, with no fairing, no solid rocket boosters, and dual RL10 engines on the Centaur upper stage.[27]
On 18 July 2011, NASA and ULA announced an agreement on the possibility of certifying the Atlas V to NASA's standards for human spaceflight.[28] ULA agreed to provide NASA with data on the Atlas V, while NASA would provide ULA with draft human certification requirements.[28] In 2011, the human-rated Atlas V was also still under consideration to carry spaceflight participants to the proposed Bigelow Commercial Space Station.[29]
In 2011, Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) picked the Atlas V to be the booster for its still-under-development Dream Chaser crewed spaceplane.[30] The Dream Chaser was intended to launch on an Atlas V, fly a crew to the ISS, and land horizontally following a lifting-body reentry.[30] However, in late 2014 NASA did not select the Dream Chaser to be one of the two vehicles selected under the Commercial Crew competition.
On 4 August 2011, Boeing announced that it would use the Atlas V as the initial launch vehicle for its CST-100 crew capsule. CST-100 will take NASA astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) and was also intended to service the proposed Bigelow Commercial Space Station.[31] [32] A three-flight test program was projected to be completed by 2015, certifying the Atlas V/CST-100 combination for human spaceflight operations.[32] The first flight was expected to include an Atlas V rocket integrated with an uncrewed CST-100 capsule,[31] the second flight an in-flight launch abort system demonstration in the middle of that year,[32] and the third flight a crewed mission carrying two Boeing test-pilot astronauts into LEO and returning them safely at the end of 2015.[32] These plans were delayed by many years and morphed along the way so that in the end, the first orbital test flight with no crew materialized in 2019, but it was a failure and needed to be reflown in 2022, the in-flight launch abort system test flight did not materialize, and the third flight, a crewed orbital test flight with two astronauts (in the end NASA's, not Boeing's astronauts) materialized in June 2024 as Boeing Crewed Flight Test. The launch abort system was tested in 2019 in the Boeing Pad Abort Test mission but this did not take place in-flight but from the launch pad.
In 2014, NASA selected the Boeing Starliner CST-100 spacecraft as part of the Commercial Crew Program. Atlas V is the launch vehicle for Starliner. The first launch of an uncrewed Starliner, the Boeing OFT mission, occurred atop a human-rated Atlas V on the morning of 20 December 2019; the mission failed to meet goals due to a spacecraft failure, though the Atlas V launcher performed well.[33] [34] In 2022, an Atlas V launched an uncrewed Starliner capsule for the second time on Boe-OFT 2 mission; the mission was a success.[35] [36]
In June 2024, on Boe-CFT mission, Atlas V carried humans into space for the first time, launching two NASA astronauts to the ISS.[37] [38]
Amazon has selected the Atlas V to launch some of the satellites for Project Kuiper. Project Kuiper will offer a high-speed satellite internet constellation service. The contract signed with Amazon is for nine launches. Project Kuiper aims to put thousands of satellites into orbit. ULA is Amazon's first launch provider.[39] Two Kuiper test satellites were launched on Atlas V in 2023 because their originally-contracted launch vehicles were not available on time. The remaining eight Atlas V Kuiper launches will each carry a full payload of Kuiper satellites. Most of the Kuiper constellation will use other launch vehicles.
Each Atlas V booster configuration has a three-digit designation.
The first digit shows the diameter (in meters) of the payload fairing and has a value of "4" or "5" for fairing launches and "N" for crew capsule launches (as no payload fairing is used).
The second digit indicates the number of solid rocket boosters (SRBs) attached to the core of the launch vehicle and can range from "0" through "3" with the fairing, and "0" through "5" with the fairing. As seen in the first image, all SRB layouts are asymmetrical.
The third digit represents the number of engines on the Centaur stage, either "1" or "2". All of the configurations use the Single Engine Centaur, except for the "N22" which is only used on Starliner crew capsule missions, and uses Dual Engine Centaur.
Atlas V has flown in eleven configurations:[40]
| + Atlas V configurations | ||||||||
| Version | Fairing | SRBs | Centaur engines | Payload, kg[41] | Launches to date | Base price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| to LEO | to GTO | |||||||
| 401 | 4 m | – | 1 | 9,797 | 4,750 | 41 | US$109 million | |
| 411 | 4 m | 1 | 1 | 12,150 | 5,950 | 6 | US$115 million | |
| 421 | 4 m | 2 | 1 | 14,067 | 6,890 | 9 | US$123 million | |
| 431 | 4 m | 3 | 1 | 15,718 | 7,700 | 3 | US$130 million | |
| 501 | 5.4 m | – | 1 | 8,123 | 3,775 | 8 | US$120 million | |
| 511 | 5.4 m | 1 | 1 | 10,986 | 5,250 | 1 | US$130 million | |
| 521 | 5.4 m | 2 | 1 | 13,490 | 6,475 | 2 | US$135 million | |
| 531 | 5.4 m | 3 | 1 | 15,575 | 7,475 | 5 | US$140 million | |
| 541 | 5.4 m | 4 | 1 | 17,443 | 8,290 | 9 | US$145 million | |
| 551 | 5.4 m | 5 | 1 | 18,814 | 8,900 | 14 | US$153 million | |
| N22 | None | 2 | 2 | ~13,000 (to ISS)[42] | 3 | – | ||
Before 2016, pricing information for Atlas V launches was limited. In 2010, NASA contracted with ULA to launch the MAVEN mission on an Atlas V 401 for approximately US$187 million.[43] The 2013 cost of this configuration for the U.S. Air Force under their block buy of 36 launch vehicles was US$164 million.[44] In 2015, the TDRS-M launch on an Atlas 401 cost NASA US$132.4 million.[45]
Starting in 2016, ULA provided pricing for the Atlas V through its RocketBuilder website, advertising a base price for each launch vehicle configuration, which ranges from US$109 million for the 401 up to US$153 million for the 551.[1] Each additional SRB adds an average of US$6.8 million to the cost of the launch vehicle. Customers can also choose to purchase larger payload fairings or additional launch service options. NASA and Air Force launch costs are often higher than equivalent commercial missions due to additional government accounting, analysis, processing, and mission assurance requirements, which can add US$30–80 million to the cost of a launch.[46]
In 2013, launch costs for commercial satellites to GTO averaged about US$100 million, significantly lower than historic Atlas V pricing.[47] However, in recent years the price of an Atlas V [401] has dropped from approximately US$180 million to US$109 million, in large part due to competitive pressure that emerged in the launch services marketplace during the early 2010s. ULA CEO Tory Bruno stated in 2016 that ULA needs at least two commercial missions each year in order to stay profitable going forward.[48] ULA is not attempting to win these missions on purely lowest purchase price, stating that it "would rather be the best value provider".[49] In 2016, ULA suggested that customers would have much lower insurance and delay costs because of the high Atlas V reliability and schedule certainty, making overall customer costs close to that of using competitors like the SpaceX Falcon 9.[50]
In 2006, ULA offered an Atlas V Heavy option that would use three Common Core Booster (CCB) stages strapped together to lift a payload to low Earth orbit.[51] ULA stated at the time that 95% of the hardware required for the Atlas V Heavy has already been flown on the Atlas V single-core vehicles.[9] The lifting capability of the proposed launch vehicle was to be roughly equivalent to the Delta IV Heavy,[9] which used RS-68 engines developed and produced domestically by Aerojet Rocketdyne.
A 2006 report, prepared by the RAND Corporation for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, stated that Lockheed Martin had decided not to develop an Atlas V heavy-lift vehicle (HLV).[52] The report recommended for the U.S. Air Force and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) to "determine the necessity of an EELV heavy-lift variant, including development of an Atlas V Heavy", and to "resolve the RD-180 issue, including coproduction, stockpile, or United States development of an RD-180 replacement".[53]
In 2010, ULA stated that the Atlas V Heavy variant could be available to customers 30 months from the date of order.[9]
An Atlas V PH2-Heavy consisting of three 5-meter stages in parallel with six RD-180s was considered in the Augustine Report as a possible heavy lifter for use in future space missions, as well as the Shuttle-derived Ares V and Ares V Lite. If built, the Atlas PH2-Heavy was projected to be able to launch a payload mass of approximately into an orbit of 28.5° inclination.[54]
| Flight No. | Date and time (UTC) | Type | Serial no. | Launch site | Payload | Type of payload | Orbit | Outcome | Remarks | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 August 2002 22:05 | 401 | AV-001 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | Hot Bird 6 | Commercial communications satellite (comsat) | GTO | [58] | First Atlas V launch | |||||||
| 2 | 13 May 2003 22:10 | 401 | AV-002 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | Hellas Sat 2 | Commercial comsat | GTO | [59] | First satellite for Greece and Cyprus | |||||||
| 3 | 17 July 2003 23:45 | 521 | AV-003 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | Rainbow-1 | Commercial comsat | GTO | [60] | First Atlas V 500 launch First Atlas V launch with SRBs | |||||||
| 4 | 17 December 2004 12:07 | 521 | AV-005 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | AMC-16 | Commercial comsat | GTO | [61] | Last flight of the 521 configuration | |||||||
| 5 | 11 March 2005 21:42 | 431 | AV-004 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | Inmarsat-4 F1 | Commercial comsat | GTO | [62] | First Atlas V 400 launch with SRBs | |||||||
| 6 | 12 August 2005 11:43 | 401 | AV-007 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) | Mars orbiter | Heliocentric to Areocentric | [63] | First Atlas V launch for NASA | |||||||
| 7 | 19 January 2006 19:00 | 551 | AV-010 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | New Horizons | Pluto and Kuiper Belt probe | Hyperbolic | [64] | Star 48B third stage used, only Atlas V launch with a third stage. | |||||||
| 8 | 20 April 2006 20:27 | 411 | AV-008 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | Astra 1KR | Commercial comsat | GTO | [65] | ||||||||
| 9 | 9 March 2007 03:10 | 401 | AV-013 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | Space Test Program-1 | 6 military research satellites | LEO | [66] |
| |||||||
| 10 | 15 June 2007 15:12 | 401 | AV-009 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USA-194 (NROL-30/NOSS-4-3A and -4-3B) | Two NRO Reconnaissance satellites | LEO | First Atlas V flight for the National Reconnaissance Office[67] Atlas did not achieve the intended orbit, but payload compensated for shortfall. NRO declared the mission a success.[68] [69] [70] | ||||||||
| 11 | 11 October 2007 00:22 | 421 | AV-011 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USA-195 (WGS-1) | Military comsat | GTO | [71] | Valve replacement delayed launch. | |||||||
| 12 | 10 December 2007 22:05 | 401 | AV-015 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USA-198 (NROL-24) | NRO reconnaissance satellite | Molniya | [72] | ||||||||
| 13 | 13 March 2008 10:02 | 411 | AV-006 | Vandenberg, SLC-3E | USA-200 (NROL-28) | NRO reconnaissance satellite | Molniya | [73] | First Atlas V launch from Vandenberg. | |||||||
| 14 | 14 April 2008 20:12 | 421 | AV-014 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | ICO G1 | Commercial comsat | GTO | [74] |
| |||||||
| 15 | 4 April 2009 00:31 | 421 | AV-016 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USA-204 (WGS-2) | Military comsat | GTO | [75] | ||||||||
| 16 | 18 June 2009 21:32 | 401 | AV-020 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | LRO/LCROSS | Lunar exploration | HEO to Lunar | [76] | First Centaur stage to impact on the Moon. | |||||||
| 17 | 8 September 2009 21:35 | 401 | AV-018 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USA-207 (Palladium At Night - PAN) | Military comsat[77] | GTO | [78] | The Centaur upper stage fragmented in orbit about 24 March 2019.[79] | |||||||
| 18 | 18 October 2009 16:12 | 401 | AV-017 | Vandenberg, SLC-3E | USA-210 (DMSP 5D3-F18) | Military weather satellite | LEO | [80] | ||||||||
| 19 | 23 November 2009 06:55 | 431 | AV-024 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | Intelsat 14 | Commercial comsat | GTO | [81] | LMCLS launch | |||||||
| 20 | 11 February 2010 15:23 | 401 | AV-021 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | SDO | Solar telescope | GTO | [82] | ||||||||
| 21 | 22 April 2010 23:52 | 501 | AV-012 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USA-212 (X-37B OTV-1) | Military orbital test vehicle | LEO | [83] | A piece of the external fairing did not break up on impact, but washed up on Hilton Head Island.[84] | |||||||
| 22 | 14 August 2010 11:07 | 531 | AV-019 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USA-214 (AEHF-1) | Military comsat | GTO | [85] | ||||||||
| 23 | 21 September 2010 04:03 | 501 | AV-025 | Vandenberg, SLC-3E | USA-215 (NROL-41) | NRO reconnaissance satellite | LEO | [86] | ||||||||
| 24 | 5 March 2011 22:46 | 501 | AV-026 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USA-226 (X-37B OTV-2) | Military orbital test vehicle | LEO | [87] | ||||||||
| 25 | 15 April 2011 04:24 | 411 | AV-027 | Vandenberg, SLC-3E | USA-229 (NROL-34) | NRO reconnaissance satellite | LEO | [88] | ||||||||
| 26 | 7 May 2011 18:10 | 401 | AV-022 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USA-230 (SBIRS GEO-1) | Missile Warning satellite | GTO | [89] | ||||||||
| 27 | 5 August 2011 16:25 | 551 | AV-029 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | Juno | Jupiter orbiter | Hyperbolic to Jovicentric | [90] | ||||||||
| 28 | 26 November 2011 15:02 | 541 | AV-028 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) | Mars rover | Hyperbolic (Mars landing) | [91] | First launch of the 541 configuation[92] Centaur entered orbit around the Sun.[93] | |||||||
| 29 | 24 February 2012 22:15 | 551 | AV-030 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | MUOS-1 | Military comsat | GTO | [94] |
| |||||||
| 30 | 4 May 2012 18:42 | 531 | AV-031 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USA-235 (AEHF-2) | Military comsat | GTO | [96] | ||||||||
| 31 | 20 June 2012 12:28 | 401 | AV-023 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USA-236 (NROL-38) | NRO reconnaissance satellite | GTO | [97] | 50th EELV launch | |||||||
| 32 | 30 August 2012 08:05 | 401 | AV-032 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | Van Allen Probes (RBSP) | Van Allen Belts exploration | HEO | [98] | ||||||||
| 33 | 13 September 2012 21:39 | 401 | AV-033 | Vandenberg, SLC-3E | USA-238 (NROL-36) | NRO reconnaissance satellites | LEO | [99] | ||||||||
| 34 | 11 December 2012 18:03 | 501 | AV-034 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USA-240 (X-37B OTV-3) | Military orbital test vehicle | LEO | [100] | ||||||||
| 35 | 31 January 2013 01:48 | 401 | AV-036 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | TDRS-K (TDRS-11) | Data relay satellite | GTO | [101] | ||||||||
| 36 | 11 February 2013 18:02 | 401 | AV-035 | Vandenberg, SLC-3E | Landsat 8 | Earth Observation satellite | LEO | [102] | First West Coast Atlas V Launch for NASA | |||||||
| 37 | 19 March 2013 21:21 | 401 | AV-037 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USA-241 (SBIRS GEO 2) | Missile Warning satellite | GTO | [103] | ||||||||
| 38 | 15 May 2013 21:38 | 401 | AV-039 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USA-242 (GPS IIF-4) | Navigation satellite | MEO | [104] | First GPS satellite launched by an Atlas V | |||||||
| 39 | 19 July 2013 13:00 | 551 | AV-040 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | MUOS-2 | Military comsat | GTO | [105] | ||||||||
| 40 | 18 September 2013 08:10 | 531 | AV-041 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USA-246 (AEHF-3) | Military comsat | GTO | [106] | ||||||||
| 41 | 18 November 2013 18:28 | 401 | AV-038 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | MAVEN | Mars orbiter | Hyperbolic to Areocentric | [107] | ||||||||
| 42 | 6 December 2013 07:14:30 | 501 | AV-042 | Vandenberg, SLC-3E | USA-247 (NROL-39) | NRO reconnaissance satellite | Low Earth orbit | [108] | ||||||||
| 43 | 24 January 2014 02:33 | 401 | AV-043 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | TDRS-L (TDRS-12) | Data relay satellite | GTO | [109] | ||||||||
| 44 | 3 April 2014 14:46 | 401 | AV-044 | Vandenberg, SLC-3E | USA-249 (DMSP-5D3 F19) | Military weather satellite | Low Earth orbit | [110] | 50th RD-180 launch | |||||||
| 45 | 10 April 2014 17:45 | 541 | AV-045 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USA-250 (NROL-67) | NRO reconnaissance satellite | GTO | [111] | ||||||||
| 46 | 22 May 2014 13:09 | 401 | AV-046 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USA-252 (NROL-33) | NRO reconnaissance satellite | GTO | [112] | ||||||||
| 47 | 2 August 2014 03:23 | 401 | AV-048 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USA-256 (GPS IIF-7) | Navigation satellite | MEO | [113] | ||||||||
| 48 | 13 August 2014 18:30 | 401 | AV-047 | Vandenberg, SLC-3E | WorldView-3 | Earth imaging satellite | Low Earth orbit | [114] | ||||||||
| 49 | 17 September 2014 00:10 | 401 | AV-049 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USA-257 (CLIO) | Military comsat[115] | GTO | [116] | The Centaur upper stage fragmented on 31 August 2018[117] | |||||||
| 50 | 29 October 2014 17:21 | 401 | AV-050 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USA-258 (GPS IIF-8) | Navigation satellite | MEO | [118] | 50th Atlas V launch | |||||||
| 51 | 13 December 2014 03:19 | 541 | AV-051 | Vandenberg, SLC-3E | USA-259 (NROL-35) | NRO reconnaissance satellite | Molniya | [119] | First use of the RL-10C engine on the Centaur stage | |||||||
| 52 | 21 January 2015 01:04 | 551 | AV-052 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | MUOS-3 | Military comsat | GTO | [120] | ||||||||
| 53 | 13 March 2015 02:44 | 421 | AV-053 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | MMS | Magnetosphere research satellites | HEO | [121] | ||||||||
| 54 | 20 May 2015 15:05 | 501 | AV-054 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USA-261 (X-37B OTV-4/AFSPC-5) | Military orbital test vehicle | LEO | [122] | ||||||||
| 55 | 15 July 2015 15:36 | 401 | AV-055 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USA-262 (GPS IIF-10) | Navigation satellite | MEO | [123] | ||||||||
| 56 | 2 September 2015 10:18 | 551 | AV-056 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | MUOS-4 | Military comsat | GTO | [124] | ||||||||
| 57 | 2 October 2015 10:28 | 421 | AV-059 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | Morelos-3 | Comsat | GTO | [125] | ||||||||
| 58 | 8 October 2015 12:49 | 401 | AV-058 | Vandenberg, SLC-3E | USA-264 (NROL-55) | NRO reconnaissance satellites | LEO | [126] | ||||||||
| 59 | 31 October 2015 16:13 | 401 | AV-060 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USA-265 (GPS IIF-11) | Navigation satellite | MEO | [127] | ||||||||
| 60 | 6 December 2015 21:44 | 401 | AV-061 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | Cygnus CRS OA-4 | ISS logistics spacecraft | LEO | [128] | First Atlas rocket used to directly support the ISS program | |||||||
| 61 | 5 February 2016 13:38 | 401 | AV-057 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USA-266 (GPS IIF-12) | Navigation satellite | MEO | [129] | ||||||||
| 62 | 23 March 2016 03:05 | 401 | AV-064 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | Cygnus CRS OA-6 | ISS logistics spacecraft | LEO | [130] | First stage shut down early but did not affect mission outcome | |||||||
| 63 | 24 June 2016 14:30 | 551 | AV-063 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | MUOS-5 | Military comsat | GTO | [131] | ||||||||
| 64 | 28 July 2016 12:37 | 421 | AV-065 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USA-267 (NROL-61) | NRO reconnaissance satellite | GTO | [132] | ||||||||
| 65 | 8 September 2016 23:05 | 411 | AV-067 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | OSIRIS-REx | Asteroid sample return | Heliocentric | [133] | ||||||||
| 66 | 11 November 2016 18:30 | 401 | AV-062 | Vandenberg, SLC-3E | WorldView-4 (GeoEye-2) + 7 NRO cubesats | Earth Imaging, cubesats | SSO | [134] | LMCLS launch | |||||||
| 67 | 19 November 2016 23:42 | 541 | AV-069 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | GOES-R (GOES-16) | Meteorology | GTO | [135] | 100th EELV launch | |||||||
| 68 | 18 December 2016 19:13 | 431 | AV-071 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | EchoStar 19 (Jupiter 2) | Commercial comsat | GTO | [136] | LMCLS launch Last flight of the 431 configuration | |||||||
| 69 | 21 January 2017 00:42 | 401 | AV-066 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USA-273 (SBIRS GEO-3) | Missile Warning satellite | GTO | [137] | ||||||||
| 70 | 1 March 2017 17:49 | 401 | AV-068 | Vandenberg, SLC-3E | USA-274 (NROL-79) | NRO Reconnaissance Satellite | LEO | [138] | ||||||||
| 71 | 18 April 2017 15:11 | 401 | AV-070 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | Cygnus CRS OA-7 | ISS logistics spacecraft | LEO | [139] | ||||||||
| 72 | 18 August 2017 12:29 | 401 | AV-074 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | TDRS-M (TDRS-13) | Data relay satellite | GTO | [140] | ||||||||
| 73 | 24 September 2017 05:49 | 541 | AV-072 | Vandenberg, SLC-3E | USA-278 (NROL-42) | NRO Reconnaissance Satellite | Molniya | [141] | ||||||||
| 74 | 15 October 2017 07:28 | 421 | AV-075 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USA-279 (NROL-52) | NRO Reconnaissance satellite | GTO | [142] | ||||||||
| 75 | 20 January 2018 00:48 | 411 | AV-076 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USA-282 (SBIRS GEO-4) | Missile Warning satellite | GTO | [143] | ||||||||
| 76 | 1 March 2018 22:02 | 541 | AV-077 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | GOES-S (GOES-17) | Meteorology | GTO | [144] | Expended the 100th AJ-60 SRB | |||||||
| 77 | 14 April 2018 23:13 | 551 | AV-079 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | AFSPC-11 | Military comsat | GEO | [145] | ||||||||
| 78 | 5 May 2018 11:05 | 401 | AV-078 | Vandenberg, SLC-3E | InSight MarCO | Mars lander; 2 CubeSats | Hyperbolic (Mars landing) | [146] | First interplanetary mission from Vandenberg; first interplanetary CubeSats. | |||||||
| 79 | 17 October 2018, 04:15 | 551 | AV-073 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USA-288 (AEHF-4) | Military comsat | GTO | [147] [148] | 250th Centaur. The Centaur upper stage fragmented in orbit on 6 Apr 2019.[149] [150] | |||||||
| 80 | 8 August 2019, 10:13 | 551 | AV-083 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USA-292 (AEHF-5) | Military comsat | GTO | [151] | ||||||||
| 81 | 20 December 2019, 11:36 | N22 | AV-080 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | Starliner Boeing OFT | Uncrewed orbital test flight | LEO (ISS) | First flight of a Dual-Engine Centaur on Atlas V. First orbital test flight of Starliner. Planned to visit ISS, but an anomaly with the Starliner vehicle left the spacecraft in too low an orbit to do so. The Atlas V rocket performed as expected and thus the mission is listed as successful here.[152] | ||||||||
| 82 | 10 February 2020, 04:03 | 411 | AV-087 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | Solar Orbiter | Solar heliophysics orbiter | Heliocentric | [153] | Last Flight of the 411 configuration | |||||||
| 83 | 26 March 2020, 20:18 | 551 | AV-086 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USA-298 (AEHF-6) | Military comsat | GTO | [154] | First ever flight for the U.S. Space Force. 500th flight of the RL10 engine | |||||||
| 84 | 17 May 2020, 13:14 | 501 | AV-081 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USA-299 (USSF-7 (X-37B OTV-6, Falcon-Sat-8)) | X-37 military spaceplane; USAFA sat. | LEO | [155] | Sixth flight of X-37B; FalconSat-8 | |||||||
| 85 | 30 July 2020, 11:50 | 541 | AV-088 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | Mars 2020 | Mars rover | Heliocentric | [156] | Launch of the Perseverance rover | |||||||
| 86 | 13 November 2020, 22:32 | 531 | AV-090 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USA 310 (NROL-101) | NRO Reconnaissance Satellite | LEO | [157] | First usage of new GEM 63 solid rocket boosters. | |||||||
| 87 | 18 May 2021, 17:37 | 421 | AV-091 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USA 315 (SBIRS-GEO 5) | Missile warning satellite | GTO | [158] | First usage of RL-10C-1-1 upper stage engine. Mission was successful, but unexpected vibration was observed in the new engine. Further use of this engine variant is on hold pending better understanding.[159] | |||||||
| 88 | 27 September 2021 18:12 | 401 | AV-092 | Vandenberg, SLC-3E | Landsat 9 | Earth Observation satellite | LEO | [160] | ||||||||
| 89 | 16 October 2021 09:34 | 401 | AV-096 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | Lucy | Space probe | Heliocentric | [161] | ||||||||
| 90 | 7 December 2021 10:19 | 551 | AV-093 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | STP-3 | Technology demonstration | GEO | [162] | Longest flight ever by an Atlas V Rocket | |||||||
| 91 | 21 January 2022 19:00 | 511 | AV-084 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USSF-8 (GSSAP 5 & 6) | Space Surveillance | GEO | [163] | First and only planned flight of the 511 configuration | |||||||
| 92 | 1 March 2022 21:38 | 541 | AV-095 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | GOES-T | Meteorology | GEO | [164] | ||||||||
| 93 | 19 May 2022 22:54 | N22 | AV-082 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | Boe OFT-2 | Uncrewed orbital test flight | LEO (ISS) | [165] | ||||||||
| 94 | 1 July 2022 23:15 | 541 | AV-094 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USSF-12 (WFOV) | Early warning | GEO | [166] | Last flight of the 541 configuration100th flight of an RD-180 engine | |||||||
| 95 | 4 August 2022 10:29 | 421 | AV-097 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USA-336 (SBIRS GEO-6) | Missile warning satellite | GEO | [167] | Last flight of the 421 configuration | |||||||
| 96 | 4 October 2022 21:36 | 531 | AV-099 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | SES-20 & SES-21 | Communication Satellites | GEO | [168] | Last flight of the 531 configuration | |||||||
| 97 | 10 November 2022 09:49 | 401 | AV-098 | Vandenberg, SLC-3E | JPSS-2 / LOFTID | Environmental Satellites | SSO | [169] | Last flight of the 401 configuration and last Atlas V launch from VSFB. Final flight of an Atlas V with a 4-meter fairing. 100th use of Single Engine Centaur. | |||||||
| 98 | 10 September 2023 12:47 | 551 | AV-102 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USA-346 USA-347 USA-348 (NROL-107) | NRO domain awareness satellites | GEO | [170] | Final NRO launch on an Atlas V. | |||||||
| 99 | 6 October 2023 18:06 | 501 | AV-104 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | KuiperSat-1 & KuiperSat-2 | Experimental Internet Satellites | [171] | Project Kuiper Protoflight mission carrying two demonstrator satellites. Last flight of the 501 configuration. | ||||||||
| 100 | 5 June 2024 14:52 | N22 | AV-085 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | Boe-CFT | Crewed orbital test flight | LEO (ISS) | [172] | The first crewed launch of an Atlas V rocket with Sunita Williams and Barry E. Wilmore onboard. | |||||||
| 101 | 30 July 2024, 10:45 | 551 | AV-101 | Cape Canaveral, SLC-41 | USA-396 USA-397 USA-398 (USSF-51) | Unknown | GEO | [173] | First launch for ULA under National Security Space Launch program. Launch vehicle transferred from Vulcan Centaur to Atlas V. | |||||||
ULA has stopped selling the Atlas V. It will fly 15 more launches.[174]
For planned launches, see List of Atlas launches (2020–2029).
The first payload, the Hot Bird 6 communications satellite, was launched to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) on 21 August 2002 by an Atlas V 401.[175]
On 12 August 2005, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter was launched aboard an Atlas V 401 launch vehicle from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS). The Centaur upper stage of the launch vehicle completed its burns over a 56-minute period and placed MRO into an interplanetary transfer orbit towards Mars.[63]
On 19 January 2006, New Horizons was launched by a Lockheed Martin Atlas V 551 rocket. A third stage was added to increase the heliocentric (escape) speed. This was the first launch of the Atlas V 551 configuration with five solid rocket boosters, and the first Atlas V with a third stage.[176]
On 6 December 2015, Atlas V lifted its heaviest payload to date into orbit – a Cygnus resupply craft.[177]
On 8 September 2016, the OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission was launched on an Atlas V 411 launch vehicle. It arrived at the asteroid Bennu in December 2018 and departed back to Earth in May 2021 to arrive September 2022 at with a sample ranging from 60 grams to 2 kilograms in 2023.[178]
Five Boeing X-37B spaceplane missions were successfully launched with the Atlas V. The flights are launched on Atlas V 501s from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The X-37B, also known as the Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV), is a reusable robotic spacecraft operated by USAF that can autonomously conduct landings from orbit to a runway. The first Vandenberg Air Force Base landing at the Space Shuttle runway occurred in December 2010.[179] Landings occur at both Vandenberg and Cape Canaveral depending on mission requirements.[180]
On 20 December 2019, the first Starliner crew capsule was launched in Boe-OFT un-crewed test flight. The Atlas V launch vehicle performed flawlessly but an anomaly with the spacecraft left it in a wrong orbit. The orbit was too low to reach the flight's destination of ISS, and the mission was subsequently cut short.
In its 100 launches (as of June 2024), starting with its first launch in August 2002, Atlas V has achieved a 100% mission success rate and a 99% vehicle success rate.[181]
The first anomalous event in the use of the Atlas V launch system occurred on 15 June 2007, when the engine in the Centaur upper stage of an Atlas V shut down early, leaving its payload – a pair of NROL-30 ocean surveillance satellites – in a lower than intended orbit. The cause of the anomaly was traced to a leaky valve, which allowed fuel to leak during the coast between the first and second burns. The resulting lack of fuel caused the second burn to terminate 4 seconds early.[182] Replacing the valve led to a delay in the next Atlas V launch.[183] However, the customer (the National Reconnaissance Office) categorized the mission as a success.[184] [185]
A flight on 23 March 2016, suffered an underperformance anomaly on the first-stage burn and shut down 5 seconds early. The Centaur proceeded to boost the Orbital Cygnus payload, the heaviest on an Atlas to date, into the intended orbit by using its fuel reserves to make up for the shortfall from the first stage. This longer burn cut short a later Centaur disposal burn.[186] An investigation of the incident revealed that this anomaly was due to a fault in the main engine mixture-ratio supply valve, which restricted the flow of fuel to the engine. The investigation and subsequent examination of the valves on upcoming missions led to a delay of the next several launches.[187]
See main article: Vulcan Centaur.
In 2014, geopolitical and U.S. political considerations because of the Russian annexation of Crimea led to an effort to replace the Russian-supplied NPO Energomash RD-180 engine used on the first-stage booster of the Atlas V. Formal study contracts were issued in June 2014 to a number of U.S. rocket-engine suppliers. The results of those studies led to a decision by ULA to develop the new Vulcan Centaur launch vehicle to replace the existing Atlas V and Delta IV.[188]
In September 2014, ULA announced a partnership with Blue Origin to develop the BE-4 LOX/methane engine to replace the RD-180 on a new first-stage booster. As the Atlas V core is designed around RP-1 fuel and cannot be retrofitted to use a methane-fueled engine, a new first stage is being developed. This booster will have the same first-stage tankage diameter as the Delta IV and will be powered by two thrust BE-4 engines.[189] [190] [191] The engine was already in its third year of development by Blue Origin, and ULA expected the new stage and engine to start flying no earlier than 2019.
Vulcan was initially planned to use the same Centaur upper stage as on Atlas V, and later to upgrade to ACES, however ACES is no longer being pursued, and Centaur V will be used instead.[192] It will also use a variable number of optional solid rocket boosters, called the GEM 63XL, derived from the new solid boosters planned for Atlas V.[22]
As of 2017, the Aerojet AR1 rocket engine was under development as a backup plan for Vulcan.[193]
The first Vulcan successfully launched on 8 January 2024.[194] [195]
In August 2021, ULA announced that they are no longer selling launches on the Atlas V and they would fulfill their 29 existing launch contracts.[8] They made a final purchase of the RD-180 motors they needed and the last of those motors were delivered in April 2021. The last launch will occur "some time in the mid-2020s".[8], twelve missions have flown since the announcement, and 17 launches remain.
Comparable rockets: