Atlas IIIA

Atlas IIIA Centaur Common Centaur

Mission Profile

Atlas IIIA was a two-stage American launch vehicle that marked the culmination of the Atlas airframe's evolution, replacing the iconic pressure-stabilized balloon tanks of earlier Atlas variants with a conventional aluminum structure and adopting the Russian RD-180 engine as its first-stage powerplant. Standing 52.8 meters tall with a liftoff mass of 220,000 kg and generating 3,827 kN of thrust, it could deliver 8,640 kg to geosynchronous transfer orbit. Making its maiden flight in May 2000, the Atlas IIIA bridged the gap between the Cold War Atlas heritage and the modern Atlas V, proving that the high-performance RD-180 could anchor a reliable American commercial launch vehicle.