Wikipedia: Titan (rocket family)

Titan (rocket family)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Titan Family

Titan II launching a Gemini spacecraft.

Titan I
Stages 2
1 Engines 1 × LR87-AJ-3
Thrust 300,000 lb (1,334 kN)
Burn time 140 sec
Fuels RP-1/LOX
2 Engines 1 × LR91-AJ-3
Thrust 80,000 lb (356 kN)
Burn time 155 sec
Fuels RP-1/LOX
Payload to LEO 4,000 lb (1800 kg)
Payload to GTO

Titan II
Stages 2 (nominally)
1 Engines 1 × LR87-AJ-5
Thrust 430,000 lb (1,913 kN)
Burn time
Fuels A-50 hydrazine/N204
2 Engines 1 × LR91-AJ-5
Thrust 100,000 lb (445 kN)
Burn time
Fuels A-50 hydrazine/N204
Payload to LEO 4,200 lb (1900 kg)
Payload to GTO

Titan III
Stages 3
0 Engines Solid Rocket Motors
Thrust
Burn time
Fuels
1 Engines 1 × LR87-AJ-11
Thrust
Burn time
Fuels A-50/N204
2 Engines 1 × LR91-AJ-11
Thrust
Burn time
Fuels A-50/N204
Payload to LEO 23,000 lb (10,400 kg)
Payload to GTO

Titan IVA
Stages 3
0 Engines Solid Rocket Motors
Thrust
Burn time
Fuels
1 Engines 1 × LR87-AJ-11
Thrust 511,200 lb (2,273 kN) average
Burn time
Fuels A-50/N204
2 Engines 1 × LR91-AJ-11
Thrust 106,150 lb (472 kN) average
Burn time
Fuels A-50/N204
Payload to LEO 39,100 lb (18,000 kg)
Payload to GTO 10,000 lb (4,500 kg)

Titan IVB
Stages 3
0 Engines Solid Rocket Motors
Thrust 1,700,000 lb (3,114 kN) each
Burn time
Fuels 88% HTP
1 Engines 1 × LR87-AJ-11
Thrust 511,200 lb (2,273 kN) average
Burn time
Fuels A-50/N204
2 Engines 1 × LR91-AJ-11
Thrust 106,150 lb (472 kN) average
Burn time
Fuels A-50/N204
Payload to LEO 47,800 lb (21,700 kg)
Payload to GTO 12,700 lb (5,800 kg)

Titan is a family of US expendable rockets.

Most Titan rockets are derivatives of the Titan II ICBM. The Titan II is a hypergolicly-fueled two-stage ICBM used by the US Air Force from the mid 1960s to the mid 1980s. In the late 80s some of the deactivated Titan IIs were converted into space launch vehicles to be used launching US Government payloads. The final such vehicle launched an NOAA weather satellite from Vandenberg AFB in 2003. Titan IIs were also used to launch the US manned Gemini capsules.

The Titan III is a stretched Titan II with optional solid rocket boosters. It was developed by the US Air Force as a heavy-lift satellite launcher to be used mainly to launch US Military payloads such as DSP early-warning, Intelligence (ie. Spy), and defense communications satellites. It was also used to launch some NASA scientific probes such as the Voyagerss.

The Titan IV is a stretched Titan III with non-optional solid rocket boosters. It is almost exclusively used to launch US Military payloads, though it was also used to launch NASA's Galileo and Cassini probes to Jupiter and Saturn after the Shuttle-Centaur program was canceled following the loss of Challenger. Titan IV is the largest launch vehicle flying as of 2003. It is extremely expensive to operate.

The Titan I is the odd-duckling of the Titan family. It was the USs second ICBM project. It is a two-stage rocket powered by RP-1 and LOX. It was developed as an alternative or backup to the US's first ICBM, the Atlas. However it was quickly noticed that RP-1/LOX liquid rockets do not make very good missiles (they cannot be stored fueled) and was therefore quickly replaced by the somewhat better Titan II (a hypergolic rocket can be stored fueled). Titan II was, however, not a highly successful ICBM either. It was in turn quickly outpaced by the Minuteman solid fueled ICBM. Approximately 50 Titan IIs were fielded along with some 1000 Minutemen.

As of 2003 the end of the Titan family of rockets is in sight. Three Titan IVBs remain to be launched. No more have been ordered. The current owners of the Titan line (Lockheed-Martin) have decided to extend their Atlas family of rockets instead of the Titans. By 2005 the Titans will likely be extinct.

Titan I
Titan II
Titan 34D
Titan III
Titan IV

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