Titan III

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Titan IIIC
MOL mockup launch by a Titan IIIC on Nov. 3, 1966 from LC41 Cape Canaveral, FL.. (USAF)
Stages		2 or 3
0 - Solid Boosters	Engines	2 X United Tech 1205
Thrust		5,849,620 N ea X 2 = 11,699,240 N
Burn time		115 seconds
Fuels		powered aluminum/ammonium perchlorate solid fuel
1 - 1st Stage	Engines	LR87 X 2
Thrust		430,000 lbf (1,913 kN)
Burn time		147 seconds
Fuels		A-50 hydrazine/N204
2 - 2nd Stage	Engine	LR91 X 1
Thrust		100,000 lbf (445 kN)
Burn time		205 seconds
Fuels		A-50 hydrazine/N204
3 - 3rd Trans-Stage	Engine	2 Aerojet AJ-10-138
Thrust		71,199 N
Burn time		440 seconds
Fuels		A-50 hydrazine/N204
Launch Vehicle		1st Launch June, 1965
Payload LEO 28-deg		28,900 pounds (13,100 kilograms)
Payload Geo-sync orbit		7,500 pounds (3,000 kilograms)
Payload To Mars		2,650 pounds (1,202 kilograms)

Mission

The Titan IIIC is a space booster used by the Air Force. It is launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., and Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. It was to be used as a launch vehicle in the cancelled Dyna-Soar and Manned Orbiting Laboratory programs. The Titan III has also been used to launch multiple satellites during a single mission.

Features

The Titan IIIC was the most recent and largest unmanned space booster used by the Air Force until the Titan IV was developed in 1988. It provides assured capability for launch of large-class payloads. The vehicle is flexible in that it can be launched with no upper stage, or one of two optional upper stages for greater and varied carrying ability.

The Titan IIIC consists of a liquid-fueled core and two large solid rocket boosters. It is launched on the solids; the liquid core ignites about 2 minutes into flight.

The Titan IIIC core consists of an LR87 liquid-propellant rocket that features structurally independent tanks for its fuel (Aerozine 50) and oxidizer (Nitrogen Tetroxide). This minimizes the hazard of the two mixing if a leak should develop in either tank. Additionally the engine propellant can be stored in a launch-ready state for extended periods. The second stage consists of an LR91 liquid propellant rocket engine attached to an airframe, like stage 1. The third stage or Transtage, was a restartable upper stage used with the Titan IIIA, Titan IIC and Titna 34D. The Transtage, like the two core stages, uses hypergolic fuels. For increased performance Titan IIIC also uses two solid propellant strap-on boosters.

Background

The Titan rocket family was established in October 1955 when the Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin (the former Glenn L. Martin Company) a contract to build an intercontinental ballistic missile (SM-68). It became known as the Titan I, the nation's first two-stage ICBM and replaced the Atlas ICBM as the second underground vertically stored, silo-based ICBM. Both stages of the Titan I used liquid oxygen and alcohol as propellants. A subsequent version of the Titan family, the Titan II, was similar to the Titan I, but was much more powerful. Designated as LGM-25C, the Titan II was the largest missile at the time, to be developed by the USAF. The Titan II had newly developed engines which used Aerozine 50 and Nitrogen Tetroxide as fuel and oxidizer.

Titan III development began in 1961 with the Titan IIIA. Years later, the Titan IIIC evolved from the Titan III family, a later derivative is the Titan 34D. The last Titan IIIC was launched in March 1982. The first Titan IIIC flew on June 18, 1965.

General Characteristics

• Primary Function: Space booster
• Builder: Lockheed-Martin Astronautics
• Power Plant:
  • Stage 0 currently consists of two solid-rocket motors.
  • Stage 1 uses an LR87 liquid-propellant rocket engine.
  • Stage 2 uses the LR91 liquid-propellant engine.
  • Stage 3 uses the Aerojet AJ-10-138 liquid-propellant engine.
• Thrust:
  • Zero stage solid rocket motors provide 5,849,620 N per motor at liftoff.
  • First stage provides an average of 548,000 pounds.
  • Second stage provides an average of 105,000 pounds.
  • Third stage provides an average of 71,199 N.
• Length: 42 meters
  • Zero Stage: 25.91 m
  • First Stage: 22.28 m
  • Second Stage: 7.9
  • Third Stage: 4.57 m
• Diameter:
  • Zero Stage: 3.05 m
  • First Stage: 3.05 m
  • Second Stage: 3.05 m
  • Third Stage: 3.05 M
• Mass:
  • Zero Stage: Empty 33,798 kg; Full 226,233 kg/ea
  • First Stage: Empty 5,443 kg; Full 116,573 kg
  • Second Stage: Empty 2,653 kg; Full 29,188 kg
  • Third Stage: Empty 1,950; Full 12,247 kg
• Lift Capability:
  • Can carry up to 28,900 pounds (13,100 kilograms) into a low-earth orbit 28 degree orbit.
  • up to 7,500 pounds (3,000 kilograms) into a geosynchronous orbit when launched from Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla.
• Maximum Takeoff Weight: 626,190 kg
• Cost:
• Date deployed: June 1965.
• Launch sites: Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla., and Vandenberg AFB, Calif.

Reference

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