Titan 34D I.U.S.

Titan 34D/IUS Inertial Upper Stage

Mission Profile

Titan 34D I.U.S. (Inertial Upper Stage) was a three-to-four-stage American launch vehicle combining the Titan 34D core with the powerful Inertial Upper Stage, enabling deployment of payloads to geosynchronous, Molniya, and even escape trajectories. Standing 47 meters tall with a liftoff mass of 626,000 kg and generating 10,680 kN of thrust, it could place substantial payloads into high orbits well beyond LEO's 12,340 kg capacity. Making its first flight in October 1982, the Titan 34D/IUS was used to deploy the Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS III) and other high-priority military satellites, with the IUS solid kick stage providing the final velocity increment to reach geosynchronous orbit.