Atlas family
Atlas LV-3B
The Atlas LV-3B, Atlas D Mercury Launch Vehicle or Mercury-Atlas Launch Vehicle, was a human-rated expendable launch system used as part of the United States Project Mercury to send astronauts into low Earth orbit. Manufactured by American aircraft manufacturing company Convair, it was derived from the SM-65D Atlas missile, and was a member of the Atlas family of rockets.
Flights flown10
Success rate70%7/10
Payload to LEO1,360kg
Maiden flight1960-07-29
Peak year19614 flights
Atlas LV-3B is built by National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States. It first flew on 9 September 1959 and last flew on 15 May 1963.
Flight record
70% success rate7 of 10 flown · 3 failed
1959peak 1961 · 4 flights1963
First flight1959-09-09
Latest flight1963-05-15
Failures3
Consecutive successes6
Fastest turnaround63d 2h
Payload
| Low Earth orbit | 1,360kg |
|---|
Vehicle
| Stages | 1 |
|---|---|
| Length | 28.7m |
| Diameter | 3m |
| Launch mass | 120t |
| Liftoff thrust | 1,300kN |
| Maiden flight | 1960-07-29 |
| Reusable | No |
Pads used
Orbits delivered
Low Earth Orbit6Suborbital4
Launch history
| Date | Mission | Pad | Orbit | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963-05-15 | Atlas LV-3B | Mercury-Atlas 9 | Space Launch Complex 14 | Low Earth Orbit | Success |
| 1962-10-03 | Atlas LV-3B | Mercury-Atlas 8 | Space Launch Complex 14 | Low Earth Orbit | Success |
| 1962-05-24 | Atlas LV-3B | Mercury-Atlas 7 | Space Launch Complex 14 | Low Earth Orbit | Success |
| 1962-02-20 | Atlas LV-3B | Mercury-Atlas 6 | Space Launch Complex 14 | Low Earth Orbit | Success |
| 1961-11-29 | Atlas LV-3B | Mercury-Atlas 5 | Space Launch Complex 14 | Low Earth Orbit | Success |
| 1961-09-13 | Atlas LV-3B | Mercury-Atlas 4 | Space Launch Complex 14 | Low Earth Orbit | Success |
| 1961-04-25 | Atlas LV-3B | Mercury-Atlas 3 | Space Launch Complex 14 | Suborbital | Failure |
| 1961-02-21 | Atlas LV-3B | Mercury-Atlas 2 | Space Launch Complex 14 | Suborbital | Success |
| 1960-07-29 | Atlas LV-3B | Mercury-Atlas 1 | Space Launch Complex 14 | Suborbital | Failure |
| 1959-09-09 | Atlas LV-3B | Big Joe 1 | Space Launch Complex 14 | Suborbital | Failure |
Specifications from Launch Library 2 by The Space Devs, launch records from Space Index. Derived figures are computed here; see sources and method.
Further reading: Wikipedia