The Atlas H was an American expendable launch system derived from the SM-65 Atlas missile. It was a member of the Atlas family of rockets, and was used to launch five clusters of NOSS satellites for the US National Reconnaissance Office. Two flights also carried LiPS satellites, as secondary payloads for the United States Naval Research Laboratory.
The Atlas H was a stage and a half rocket, using the enhanced Atlas rocket designed for use as the first stage of the Atlas G rocket,Encyclopedia Astronautica - Atlas which differed from the Atlas H in having a Centaur upper stage. This stage was later reused as the first stage of the Atlas I. In practice, an MSD upper stage was flown on all five launches.Gunter's Space Page - Atlas-H MSD
Atlas H could put a payload of 3,630 kg (8,000 lb) into low Earth orbit, or a payload of 2,255 kg (4,971 lb) into a geostationary transfer orbit.
Launches The Atlas H was launched five times from Vandenberg SLC3E: DateMissionMass (kg)Apogee (km)Perigee (km)Inclination º1983 February 9NOSS 4 - PARCAE 5 / OPS 02527001,1861,06363.40SSB - SSU7001,48973363.40SSD (NOSS 4) - NOSS-Subsat 4-41,41979663.40SSC - SSU1,1731,04363.50SSA - SSU1,1661,05163.40SSA (NOSS 4) - NOSS-Subsat 4-1 / OPS 0252 DEB1,1641,05163.50LIPS 21,39982263.301983 June 9NOSS 5 - PARCAE 6 / OPS 64327001,1671,04963.40GB1 - SSU1,1671,04963.40GB3 - SSU1,1661,04963.40GB2 - SSU1,1671,04963.401984 February 5NOSS 6 - PARCAE 7 / OPS 87377001,1721,05263.40JD1 - SSU1,1721,05263.40JD2 - SSU1,1721,05263.40JD3 - SSU1,1721,05263.401986 February 9USA 15 - PARCAE 87001,1661,04963.00USA 18 - SSU1,40781763.41USA 16 - SSU1,1611,05563.00USA 17 - SSU1,1651,05563.001987 May 15USA 22 - PARCAE 97001,1791,04562.90LIPS 31,31689963.40USA 25 - SSU1,1781,03562.60USA 24 - SSU1,1841,04663.20USA 23 - SSU1,1701,03963.40
References