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Atlas V

American expendable launch system

Key facts

Function: Medium-lift launch vehicle
Manufacturer: United Launch Alliance
Country of origin: United States
Cost per launch: US$110–153 million (2016)
Height: Up to 58.3 m (191 ft)
Diameter: 3.81 m (12.5 ft)
Mass: 590,000 kg (1,300,000 lb)
Orbital inclination: 28.70°
Family: Atlas
Based on: Atlas III
Comparable: Delta IV Falcon 9 Long March 3B LVM3 Proton-M Saturn IB
Status: Active, retiring
Launch sites: Cape Canaveral , SLC-41 Vandenberg , SLC-3 (until 2022)
Total launches: 109 401: 41 411: 6 421: 9 431: 3 501: 8 511: 1 521: 2 531: 5 541: 9 551: 22 N22: 3
Success es: 108 401: 40 411: 6 421: 9 431: 3 501: 8 511: 1 521: 2 531: 5 541: 9 551: 22 N22: 3
Partial failures: 1 401: 1 411: 0 421: 0 431: 0 501: 0 511: 0 521: 0 531: 0 541: 0 551: 0 N22: 0
First flight: August 21, 2002 ( Hot Bird 6 )
Last flight: May 29, 2026 ( LeoSat LA-07, most recent )

via Wikipedia infobox

Article

Atlas V is an expendable launch system and the fifth major version in the Atlas launch vehicle family. It was developed by Lockheed Martin and has been operated by United Launch Alliance (ULA) since 2006. Primarily used to launch payloads for the United States Department of Defense, NASA, and commercial customers, Atlas V is the longest-serving active rocket in the United States.

Each Atlas V vehicle consists of two main stages. The first stage is powered by a single Russian-made RD-180 engine that burns kerosene and liquid oxygen. The Centaur upper stage uses one or two American-made Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10 engines that burn liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. Strap-on solid rocket boosters (SRBs) are used in several configurations. Originally equipped with AJ-60A SRBs, the vehicle switched to Graphite-Epoxy Motor (GEM 63) boosters beginning in November 2020, except for flights in the Boeing Starliner program. Standard payload fairings measure either 4.2 m (14 ft) or 5.4 m (18 ft) in diameter, with multiple available lengths.