Atlas SLV3 Agena B

Mission Profile

Atlas SLV3 Agena B was a two-stage American launch vehicle combining the improved SLV3 Atlas core with the Agena B upper stage, which featured a restartable engine for multi-burn orbital insertion maneuvers. Standing 28.7 meters tall with a liftoff mass of approximately 120,000 kg and generating 1,740 kN of thrust, it provided reliable medium-lift performance for government satellite programs. Entering service in June 1966, it was used for a variety of military reconnaissance and scientific missions, benefiting from the Agena B's versatility in placing payloads into diverse orbits through its restartable engine capability, which allowed precise orbital targeting after coasting phases.