The Titan IIIC was an expendable launch system used by the United States Air Force from 1965 until 1982. It was the first Titan booster to feature large solid rocket motors and was planned to be used as a launcher for the Dyna-Soar, though the spaceplane was cancelled before it could fly. The majority of the launcher's payloads were DoD satellites, for military communications and early warning, though one flight (ATS-6) was performed by NASA. The Titan IIIC was launched exclusively from Cape Canaveral while its sibling, the Titan IIID, was launched only from Vandenberg AFB.
History The Titan rocket family was established in October 1955 when the Air Force awarded the Glenn L. Martin Company (later Martin Marietta and now Lockheed Martin) 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 kerosene (RP-1) and liquid oxygen (LOX) 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 USAF missile at the time and burned Aerozine 50 and nitrogen tetroxide (NTO) rather than RP-1 and LOX.
The Titan III family consisted of an enhanced Titan II core with or without solid rocket strap-on boosters and an assortment of upper stages. All Solid Rocket Motor SRM-equipped Titans (IIIC, IIID, IIIE, 34D, and IV) launched with only the SRMs firing at liftoff, the core stage not activating until T+105 seconds, shortly before SRM jettison. The Titan IIIA (an early test variant flown in 1964–65) and IIIB (flown from 1966 to 1987 with an Agena D upper stage in both standard and extended tank variants) had no SRMs. The Titan III launchers provided assured capability and flexibility for launch of large-class payloads.
All Titan II/III/IV vehicles contained a special range safety system known as the Inadvertent Separation Destruction System (ISDS) that would activate and destroy the first stage if there was a premature second stage separation. Titans that carried Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) (Titan IIIC, IIID, 34D, and IV) had a second ISDS that consisted of several lanyards attached to the SRBs that would trigger and automatically destroy them if they prematurely separated from the core, said "destruction" consisting mainly of splitting the casings open to release the pressure inside and terminate thrust. The ISDS would end up being used a few times over the Titan's career.
Another slight modification to SRB-equipped Titans was the first stage engines being covered instead of the open truss structure on the Titan II/IIIA/IIIB. This was to protect the engines from the heat of the SRB exhaust.
Titan III/IV SRBs were fixed nozzle and for roll control, a small tank of nitrogen tetroxide was mounted to each motor. The would be injected into the SRB exhaust to deflect it in the desired direction.
As the IIIC consisted of mostly proven hardware, launch problems were generally only caused by the upper stages and/or payload.
Launch history
The first Titan IIIC (3C-7) flew on June 18, 1965, and was the most powerful launcher used by the Air Force until it was replaced by the Titan 34D in 1982.
The second launch (3C-4) in October 1965 failed, when the Transtage suffered an oxidizer leak and was unable to put its payload (several small satellites) into the correct orbit. The third launch (3C-8) in December experienced a similar failure.
The fourth IIIC launch (3C-11 on June 16, 1966) was used to send the LES 4 (Lincoln Experimental Satellite 4) into orbit. It was a US Air Force experimental communications satellite launched along with OV2-3, LES 3, and Oscar 4 from Cape Canaveral aboard a single Titan 3C rocket. It transmitted in X-band.
The fifth Titan IIIC (3C-12 on August 26, 1966) failed shortly after launch when pieces of the payload fairing started breaking off. Around 80 seconds, the remainder of the shroud disintegrated, causing loss of launch vehicle control as well as the payload (a group of IDCSP satellites intended to provide radio communication for the US Army in Vietnam). The Titan performed a cartwheel, causing SRM #1 to break off the stack, activating its ISDS system and blowing up the entire launch vehicle. The exact reason for the shroud failure was not determined, but the fiberglass payload shrouds used on the Titan III up to this point were replaced with a metal shroud afterwards.
A Titan IIIC in November 1970 (3C-19) failed to place its missile early warning satellite (DSP 1) in the correct orbit due to a Transtage guidance problem and a 1975 launch (3C-25) of two DSCS II (DSCS-2 5 and DSCS-2 6) military communication satellites left in LEO by a Transtage power failure.
On March 25, 1978, a launch of two DSCS II satellites (3C-35 with DSCS-2 9 and DSCS-2 10) performed normally through stage 1 powered flight and part of stage 2 flight. At T+425 seconds, a hydraulic line ruptured from overpressurization caused by a malfunction of the hydraulic pump, causing immediate loss of system pressure. Engine gimbaling control was lost and the Titan began tumbling. The guidance system sensed negative acceleration and sent an automatic shutdown command to the engine. The Range Safety destruct command was sent at T+630 seconds, sending the DSCS satellites into the Atlantic Ocean.
The last IIIC (3C-38 with DSP 10) was launched in March 1982.
Design
The Titan IIIC weighed about at liftoff and consisted of a two-stage Titan core and upper stage called the Titan Transtage, both burning hypergolic liquid fuel, and two large UA1205 solid rocket motors.
The solid motors were ignited on the ground and were designated "stage 0". Each motor composed of five segments and was in diameter, long, and weighed nearly . They produced a combined thrust at sea level and burned for approximately 115 seconds. Solid motor jettison occurred at approximately 116 seconds.
The first core stage ignited about 5 seconds before SRM jettison. Designated the Titan 3A-1, this stage was powered by a twin nozzle Aerojet LR-87-AJ9 engine that burned about of Aerozine 50 and nitrogen tetroxide (NTO) and produced thrust over 147 seconds. The Aerozine 50 and NTO were stored in structurally independent tanks to minimize the hazard of the two mixing if a leak should have developed in either tank.
The second core stage, the Titan 3A-2, contained about of propellant and was powered by a single Aerojet LR-91-AJ9, which produced for 145 seconds.
The upper stage, the Titan Transtage, also burned Aerozine 50 and NTO. Its two Aerojet AJ-10-138 engines were restartable, allowing flexible orbital operations including orbital trimming, geostationary transfer and insertion, and delivery of multiple payloads to different orbits. This required complex guidance and instrumentation. Transtage contained about of propellant and its engines delivered .
Titan-3(23)C The Titan-3(23)C variation introduced in late 1970 uses different versions of the engines for the first and second stages:
First stage: twin nozzle Aerojet LR-87-AJ11 Second stage: single Aerojet LR-91-AJ11
This configuration was used for 23 launches.
General characteristics Primary Function: Space booster Builder: Martin Marietta Power Plant: Stage 0 consists of two solid rocket motors. Stage 1 uses two LR87 liquid propellant engines. Stage 2 uses one LR91 liquid propellant engine. Stage 3 uses two Aerojet AJ-10-138 liquid propellant engines. Length: 42 m Stage 0: 25.91 m Stage 1: 22.28 m Stage 2: 7.9 m Stage 3: 4.57 m Diameter: Stage 0: 3.05 m Stage 1: 3.05 m Stage 2: 3.05 m Stage 3: 3.05 m Mass: Stage 0: Empty 33,798 kg/ea; Full 226,233 kg/ea Stage 1: Empty 5,443 kg; Full 116,573 kg Stage 2: Empty 2,653 kg; Full 29,188 kg Stage 3: Empty 1,950 kg; Full 12,247 kg Lift capability: Up to 28,900 lb (13,100 kg) into a low Earth orbit with 28 degrees inclination. Up to 6,600 lb (3,000 kg) into a geosynchronous transfer orbit when launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL. Maximum takeoff weight: 626,190 kg Cost: Date deployed: June 1965. Launch sites: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL., and Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA.
List of launches Date/Time (GMT) Launch site S/NVersion Payload Outcome Remarks 18 June 196514:00 CCAFS LC-40 3C-7Titan IIIC N/A Transtage test flight 14 October 196517:24 CCAFS LC-40 3C-4Titan IIIC LCS-2OV2-1 Transtage failed in low Earth orbit due to oxidizer tank leak 21 December 196514:00 CCAFS LC-41 3C-8Titan IIIC LES-3LES-4OV2-3OSCAR 4 Transtage failed during 3rd burn due to stuck oxidizer valve; left payloads in GTO 16 June 196614:00 CCAFS LC-41 3C-11Titan IIIC OPS-9311 (IDCSP)OPS-9312 (IDCSP)OPS-9313 (IDCSP)OPS-9314 (IDCSP)OPS-9315 (IDCSP)OPS-9316 (IDCSP)OPS-9317 (IDCSP)GGTS-1 26 August 196614:00 CCAFS LC-41 3C-12Titan IIIC 7X IDCSPGGTS-2 Payload fairing broke up at T+78 seconds. RSO T+83 seconds. 3 November 196613:50 CCAFS LC-40 3C-9Titan IIIC Gemini BOV1-6OV4-1R/TOV4-3 Gemini B was launched on a sub-orbital trajectory 18 January 196714:19 CCAFS LC-41 3C-13Titan IIIC OPS-9321 (IDCSP)OPS-9322 (IDCSP)OPS-9323 (IDCSP)OPS-9324 (IDCSP)OPS-9325 (IDCSP)OPS-9326 (IDCSP)OPS-9327 (IDCSP)OPS-9328 (IDCSP) 28 April 196710:01 CCAFS LC-41 3C-10Titan IIIC OPS-6638 (Vela)OPS-6679 (Vela)ORS-4OV5-1OV5-3 1 July 196713:15 CCAFS LC-41 3C-14Titan IIIC OPS-9331 (IDCSP)OPS-9332 (IDCSP)OPS-9333 (IDCSP)OPS-9334 (IDCSP)LES-5DODGE 13 June 196814:03 CCAFS LC-41 3C-16Titan IIIC OPS-9341 (IDCSP)OPS-9342 (IDCSP)OPS-9343 (IDCSP)OPS-9344 (IDCSP)OPS-9345 (IDCSP)OPS-9346 (IDCSP)OPS-9347 (IDCSP)OPS-9348 (IDCSP) 26 September 196807:37 CCAFS LC-41 3C-5Titan IIIC LES-6OV2-5OV5-2OV5-4 9 February 196921:09 CCAFS LC-41 3C-17Titan IIIC TACOMSAT (OPS-0757) 23 May 196907:57 CCAFS LC-41 3C-15Titan IIIC OPS-6909 (Vela)OPS-6911 (Vela)OV5-5OV5-6OV5-9 8 April 197010:50 CCAFS LC-40 3C-18Titan IIIC OPS-7033 (Vela)OPS-7044 (Vela) 6 November 197010:36 CCAFS LC-40 3C-19Titan-3(23)C DSP-1 (OPS-5960) Transtage 3rd burn failure left satellite in unusable lower than planned orbit 5 May 197107:43 CCAFS LC-40 3C-20Titan-3(23)C DSP-2 (OPS-3811) 3 November 197103:09 CCAFS LC-40 3C-21Titan-3(23)C DSCS-II-1 (OPS-9431)DSCS-II-2 (OPS-9432) 1 March 197209:39 CCAFS LC-40 3C-22Titan-3(23)C DSP-3 (OPS-1570) 12 June 197307:14 CCAFS LC-40 3C-24Titan-3(23)C DSP-4 (OPS-6157) 13 December 197323:57 CCAFS LC-40 3C-26Titan-3(23)C DSCS-II-3 (OPS-9433)DSCS-II-4 (OPS-9434) 30 May 197413:00 CCAFS LC-40 3C-27Titan-3(23)C ATS-6 20 May 197514:03 CCAFS LC-40 3C-25Titan-3(23)C DSCS-II-5 (OPS-9435)DSCS-II-6 (OPS-9436) Transtage inertial measurement unit failure caused it to be stranded in low Earth orbit. 14 December 197505:15 CCAFS LC-40 3C-29Titan-3(23)C DSP-5 (OPS-3165) 15 March 197601:25 CCAFS LC-40 3C-30Titan-3(23)C LES-8LES-9Solrad-11ASolrad-11B 26 June 197603:00 CCAFS LC-40 3C-28Titan-3(23)C DSP-6 (OPS-2112) 6 February 197706:00 CCAFS LC-40 3C-23Titan-3(23)C DSP-7 (OPS-3151) 12 May 197714:27 CCAFS LC-40 3C-32Titan-3(23)C DSCS-II-7 (OPS-9437)DSCS-II-8 (OPS-9438) 25 March 197818:09 CCAFS LC-40 3C-35Titan-3(23)C DSCS-II-9 (OPS-9439)DSCS-II-10 (OPS-9440) Second stage hydraulics pump failure. RSO T+480 seconds. 10 June 197819:08 CCAFS LC-40 3C-33Titan-3(23)C OPS-9454 (Vortex) 14 December 197800:40 CCAFS LC-40 3C-36Titan-3(23)C DSCS-II-11 (OPS-9441)DSCS-II-12 (OPS-9442) 10 June 197913:30 CCAFS LC-40 3C-31Titan-3(23)C DSP-8 (OPS-7484) 1 October 197911:22 CCAFS LC-40 3C-34Titan-3(23)C OPS-1948 (Vortex) 21 November 197902:09 CCAFS LC-40 3C-37Titan-3(23)C DSCS-II-13 (OPS-9443)DSCS-II-14 (OPS-9444) 16 March 198113:30 CCAFS LC-40 3C-40Titan-3(23)C DSP-9 (OPS-7350) 31 October 198109:22 CCAFS LC-40 3C-39Titan-3(23)C OPS-4029 (Vortex) 6 March 198219:25 CCAFS LC-40 3C-38Titan-3(23)C DSP-10 (OPS-8701)
References
External links
Titan III: Research and Development for Today And Tomorrow Titan3C