Family-level launch record combining canonical variants, historical missions, public cadence forecasts, and available payload performance specs.
Historical missions are grouped by actual launch year. Forecast cadence uses family-level launch-rate rows.
| Year | Historical missions | Forecast launches |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 6 | 0 |
| 1999 | 5 | 0 |
| 2000 | 8 | 0 |
| 2001 | 4 | 0 |
| 2002 | 4 | 0 |
| 2003 | 3 | 0 |
| 2004 | 5 | 0 |
| 2005 | 1 | 0 |
Payload capacity by variant and target orbit when structured capacity rows are available.
| Variant | Orbit | Capacity | Altitude | Inclination | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No performance specsNo structured payload capacity rows are linked to this vehicle family. | |||||
Latest launched missions using variants in this family.
| Mission | Variant | Launch |
|---|---|---|
| USA 181 [NOSS16] | Atlas 3B SEC | Feb 3, 2005 |
| USA 179 [SDS15] | Atlas IIAS | Aug 31, 2004 |
| AMC-11 | Atlas IIAS | May 19, 2004 |
| Superbird 6 |
Canonical variants rolled up into this launch vehicle family.
| Variant | Stages | Missions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Atlas 3A | Not stated | 2 | Retired |
Atlas 3B DEC | Not stated | 1 | Retired |
Atlas 3B SEC | Not stated | 3 | Retired |
Atlas Able | Not stated | 3 | Retired |
Atlas IIAS |
| Apr 16, 2004 |
| MBSAT Mission | Atlas 3A | Mar 13, 2004 |
| AMC-10 | Atlas IIAS | Feb 5, 2004 |
| USA 174 (UHF F11) | Atlas 3B SEC | Dec 18, 2003 |
| USA 173 [NOSS15] | Atlas IIAS | Dec 2, 2003 |
Upcoming mission rows with announced launch timing.
| Mission | Variant | Announced |
|---|---|---|
No forecasted missionsNo upcoming announced mission rows are linked to this vehicle family. | ||
Atlas Agena A | Not stated | 4 | Retired |
Atlas Agena B | Not stated | 28 | Retired |
Atlas Agena D | Not stated | 15 | Retired |
Atlas B | Not stated | 1 | Retired |
Atlas Burner 2 | Not stated | 2 | Retired |
Atlas Centaur | Not stated | 4 | Retired |
Atlas Centaur D | Not stated | 7 | Retired |
Atlas D | Not stated | 14 | Retired |
Atlas E | Not stated | 22 | Retired |
Atlas E Altair | Not stated | 1 | Retired |
Atlas F | Not stated | 22 | Retired |
Atlas G Centaur | Not stated | 7 | Retired |
Atlas H | Not stated | 5 | Retired |
Atlas I | Not stated | 11 | Retired |
Atlas II | Not stated | 10 | Retired |
Atlas IIA | Not stated | 23 | Retired |
Atlas IIAS | Not stated | 30 | Retired |
Atlas SLV-3 | Not stated | 1 | Retired |
Atlas SLV-3A Agena D | Not stated | 12 | Retired |
Atlas SLV-3 Agena B | Not stated | 1 | Retired |
Atlas SLV-3 Agena D | Not stated | 48 | Retired |
Atlas SLV-3C Centaur | Not stated | 17 | Retired |
Atlas SLV-3D Centaur | Not stated | 32 | Retired |
Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research prepared the JUICE measurement campaign for observations of 3I/ATLAS.
The comet 3I/ATLAS was first seen on July 1, 2025, in images from the Chilean ATLAS telescope and identified as a visitor from outside the solar system.
The JUICE instruments will observe 3I/ATLAS from November 2 to 25, 2025.
As of November 2, 2025, 3I/ATLAS has reached its closest point to the sun, within Mars' orbit, at a distance of 210 million kilometers.
The comet 3I/ATLAS is currently difficult to see from Earth, but JUICE has a better vantage point.
The JUICE team hopes to learn more about the water from the comet 3I/ATLAS through observations.
Energetic neutral atoms are produced when charged solar wind particles interact with the gas cloud surrounding 3I/ATLAS.
JUICE is currently about 60 million kilometers away from 3I/ATLAS.
JUICE is expected to have good visibility of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS in the coming weeks.
SWI can provide information regarding whether water molecules originate from the surface of 3I/ATLAS or from ice crystals in its vicinity.
ViaSat-3 F2 will be launched aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V551 from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The European spacecraft JUICE is on its way to Jupiter and will soon target the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS.
Ground-based telescopes will struggle to observe 3I/ATLAS, as Earth is on the opposite side of the sun.
PEP will measure for twelve consecutive days to capture enough particles from 3I/ATLAS.
The JUICE team aims for SWI to achieve the first high-resolution measurements of water on 3I/ATLAS.
JUICE can only observe 3I/ATLAS for a maximum of 30 minutes a day to avoid excessive sun exposure.
JUICE and the comet 3I/ATLAS will cross paths in the solar system, which is considered a significant opportunity by the research team.
3I/ATLAS is currently producing around two tons of water vapor per second.
Data from comet 3I/ATLAS observations will be received on Earth in February 2026.
ESA's Juice mission will attempt observations of comet 3I/ATLAS in November 2025.