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 |
Maxar Technologies signed a multi-million-dollar contract extension with Esri to continue licensing data for the ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World through 2023.
The National Disaster Management Agency will collaborate with the India Meteorological Department and governments of coastal states to develop a Web-based Dynamic Composite Risk Atlas (Web-DCRA) for the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project.
The AEHF-6 and NROL-101 missions will use the Atlas 5551 configuration with five side-mounted solid rocket boosters.
Lockheed Martin later formed the United Launch Alliance joint venture with Boeing using upgraded Atlas and Delta rockets.
Martin Marietta acquired the Atlas business from General Dynamics in the 1990s before merging with Lockheed.
RUAG USA is producing the 5.4-meter autoclave composite fairing in a facility located within the ULA Decatur factory and has moved all production of composite structures it builds for Atlas and Vulcan to Decatur.
RUAG USA is nearing completion of the first 5.4-meter fairing for Atlas and is expected to deliver the first fairing in early 2020.
Vulcan Centaur is being offered by ULA as a single vehicle to perform missions currently done by Atlas and Delta and to compete for NASA, commercial, and Air Force Phase 2 missions.
The Air Force will not be able to fly satellites on the Russian-engine-powered Atlas beyond 2022, motivating ULA to design Vulcan with a domestically produced engine.
Atlas Space Operations will support AWS Ground Station within its Atlas Freedom Network, providing customers access to AWS services through Atlas’ cloud-based ground station network.
Orbital Atlas will be tested at the Combined Space Operations Center at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, and at the National Space Defense Center at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado.
Slingshot Aerospace plans to add geospatial intelligence to Orbital Atlas to provide space operators with ground-based information such as missile launch activity.
The Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center awarded Slingshot Aerospace a $6,000,000 two-year contract to customize the company’s Orbital Atlas predictive space situational awareness software for possible military use.
Atlas Space Operations is working under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the U.S. Air Force to develop Atlas Links, an electronically steered antenna array.
The Atlas Freedom Network was scheduled to expand to 30 nodes by the end of 2019 and to more than 60 nodes by the end of 2020, including optical data links.
The Atlas Freedom Network includes 15 UHF, S-band, and X-band ground stations.
The United Launch Alliance joint venture began operating as a monopoly in 2006 after Boeing’s Delta and Lockheed’s Atlas merged their government launch operations.
Slingshot Aerospace launched its first artificial intelligence-enabled space situational awareness product, Orbital Atlas, 2018-09 targeted at commercial satellite operators and academia.
ATLAS is designed to fire 10,000 laser pulses per second to obtain elevation data with an accuracy of half a centimeter.
United Launch Alliance selected Orbital ATK boosters in 2015 for future Atlas flights and for its Vulcan next-generation launch vehicle, prompting Aerojet Rocketdyne to close its Atlas 5 booster business.