Athena (rocket)
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| Athena | |
 Athena II with Lunar Prospector |
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| Fact sheet | |
|---|---|
| Function | Small, modular component launch vehicle |
| Manufacturer | Lockheed Martin |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Size | |
| Height | 19.8 - 30.48 m (65 - 100 ft) |
| Diameter | 1.98 m (78 in) |
| Mass | 66,344 - 120,202 kg (146,264 - 265,000 lb) |
| Stages | 2 or 3 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to LEO | 794 - 1,896 kg (1,750 - 4,350 lb) |
| Launch History | |
| Status | Retired[1] |
| Launch sites | Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 46, Vandenberg AFB Space Launch Complex 6, Kodiak Launch Complex 1 |
| Total launches | 7 For breakdown by variant, see text. Launch data.[2] |
| Successes | 6 |
| Failures | 1 |
| Maiden flight | August 1995 |
| Notable payloads | Lunar Prospector |
| First Stage - Castor-120 | |
| Engines | 1 |
| Thrust | 1,900 kN (435,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 280 seconds |
| Burn time | 83.4 seconds |
| Fuel | Class 1.3 Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB-a polymer) propellant |
| Second Stage - ORBUS 21D | |
| Engines | 1 |
| Thrust | 194 kN (43,723 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 293 seconds |
| Burn time | 150 seconds |
| Fuel | Class 1.3 Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB-a polymer) propellant |
The Athena rocket is a Lockheed Martin launch vehicle. It has undergone several name changes in its lifetime. Initially developed in 1993 as the Lockheed Launch Vehicle (LLV) at its inception at the Lockheed Corporation, the name was changed to the Lockheed Martin Launch Vehicle when its developing company merged with Martin Marietta. Late in the program's life the name was finally changed to the current name of Athena.
Contents |
[edit] Variants
The Athena comes in two versions, Athena I and Athena II. The Athena I has two stages, the Thiokol Castor-120 first stage and a Pratt & Whitney ORBUS 21D upper stage. The Athena II has three stages, the Castor-120 first and second stages, and an ORBUS 21D upper stage.
The Athena rocket uses the Primex Technologies[citation needed] Orbit Adjust Module (OAM). The OAM houses the attitude control system and avionics subsystem (guidance and navigation, batteries, telemetry transmitters, command and destruct receivers and antennas). This 1 meter (3.3 ft) long module is fueled with monopropellant hydrazine. After payload separation, the OAM performs a contamination and collision avoidance maneuver, distancing itself from the payload and burning any remaining fuel to depletion.
An Athena III rocket was planned, but never developed. It was to add two, four or six Castor-4A strap-on boosters to the stack.
[edit] Launches
- DLV - The Demonstration Launch Vehicle (DLV) was launched in August 1995.
- Lewis - An Athena I launched the NASA Lewis satellite on Aug. 22, 1997.
- Lunar Prospector - An Athena II launched NASA's Lunar Prospector on Jan. 6, 1998.[3]
- ROCSAT-1 - An Athena I launched ROCSAT-1 for the Republic of China (Taiwan) on Jan. 26, 1999.
- IKONOS-1 - An Athena II launched IKONOS-1, a commercial earth observation satellite, on April 27, 1999. (Failed to orbit)[4]
- IKONOS-2 - An Athena II launched IKONOS-2, a commercial earth observation satellite, on Sept. 24, 1999.
- Kodiak Star - An Athena launched Kodiak Star for NASA and the Space Test Program on Sept. 30, 2001.[5]
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Lockheed-Martin official page
- Encyclopedia Astronautica
[edit] See also
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