Atlas-Centaur
An Atlas-Centaur launching Surveyor 1 (1966) | |
| Function | Expendable launch system |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Convair Division of General Dynamics |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Retired |
| Launch sites | Cape Canaveral, LC-36 |
| Total launches | 197 |
| Success(es) | 181 |
| Failure(s) | 13 |
| Partial failure(s) | 3 |
| First flight | 8 May 1962 |
| Last flight | 31 August 2004 |
The Atlas-Centaur was a United States expendable launch vehicle derived from the SM-65 Atlas D missile. The vehicle featured a Centaur upper stage, the first such stage to use high-performance liquid hydrogen as fuel. Launches were conducted from Launch Complex 36 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida. After a strenuous flight test program, Atlas-Centaur went on to launch several crucial spaceflight missions for the United States, including Surveyor 1, and Pioneer 10/11. The vehicle would be continuously developed and improved into the 1990s, with the last direct descendant being the highly successful Atlas II.