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 |
The space vehicle's design included two attached drop tanks utilizing materials and techniques from the Atlas launch vehicle.
The Tianwen-1 team prepared for 3I/ATLAS observations starting in early September.
3I/ATLAS has an extremely faint brightness and is currently not observable from Earth.
The relative velocity of 3I/ATLAS to the Tianwen-1 orbiter is around 86 kilometers per second.
The high-resolution camera's imaging capabilities were pushed to their limits during the observation of 3I/ATLAS.
3I/ATLAS represents a rare sample for detecting the composition, evolution, and early stellar history of extrasolar systems.
The successful observation of 3I/ATLAS is considered an important extended mission for Tianwen-1.
3I/ATLAS has a high intrinsic velocity of approximately 58 kilometers per second.
The nucleus of 3I/ATLAS has a diameter of approximately 5.6 kilometers.
The Tianwen-1 orbiter successfully observed the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS using its high-resolution camera.
During the observation, the Tianwen-1 orbiter was approximately thirty million kilometers from 3I/ATLAS.
The Atlas team discovered the liquid oxygen tank vent valve issue during final checkouts on November 5.
The video captured by Tianwen-1 provides a rare close-up view of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS with its high-resolution camera.
Interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, first identified in early 2023, is only the third known interstellar visitor to our solar system, following 1I/?Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov.
The observation of 3I/ATLAS by Tianwen-1 occurred at a distance of approximately 29 million kilometers.
CNSA confirmed the observation of 3I/ATLAS as a major milestone in Tianwen 1's extended mission.
Tianwen-1 Mars orbiter captured video of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS from 30 million km away.
Tianwen-1 Mars orbiter successfully observed the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS in early October 2023.
PEP has a larger field of view and can observe for several consecutive days despite the movements required to track 3I/ATLAS.
Frozen gases from the surface of 3I/ATLAS are expected to sublimate, creating a visible cloud of gas and dust.