"As we begin offering launch services on the third generation of commercial Atlas vehicles, it is appropriate to give this new family of rockets a designation that sets it apart from its worthy predecessors and points to the added capability that will provide mission success for our many domestic and international customers," said Dr. Raymond S. Colladay, president of Lockheed Martin Astronautics.

The defining characteristic of Atlas III vehicles is the use of the Russian-designed RD-180 engine to power the Atlas booster. Atlas IIIB extends the performance capability of the vehicle to 9,920 pounds (4,500 kg) to geostationary transfer orbit, an increase of 1,720 pounds (771 kg) over the Atlas IIAS, the most powerful version of the Atlas II family presently flying.

Atlas IIIA, previously Atlas IIAR, is proceeding through development on its way to initial launch capability (ILC) late this year. The first Atlas IIIA began final assembly in mid-March at Astronautics' facilities near Denver, Colo. It makes use of the RD-180 engine to power the booster phase, and a single RL-1OA engine to power the Centaur upper stage.

Atlas IIIB, previously Atlas IIARC, incorporates two RL-10A engines to power a stretched version of the Centaur. The significant increase in performance of Atlas IIIB is achieved with technically minimal modifications to the basic Atlas IIIA.

"Atlas IIIB is another step Lockheed Martin is taking to be responsive to the market by answering the need for increased performance," said Charles H. Lloyd, International Launch Services, president. "We see these incremental steps in Atlas evolution as offering our customers the greatest assurance for mission success because they grow out of the proven Atlas design legacy."

International Launch Services (ILS) markets Atlas to the worldwide satellite launch market. ILS is offering Atlas IIIA for launch opportunities beginning in 1999 and Atlas IIIB for launch opportunities beginning in mid- 2000.

The Russian-designed RD-180 engine, which powers the Atlas III vehicles and also the company's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle for the U.S. Air Force, is currently undergoing extensive testing at NPO Energomash facilities in Khimky, Russia, where nine engines have been successfully test fired for a total of more than 9,000 seconds. This is the equivalent of more than 48 Atlas IIIA flights when compared to the 186 seconds the engine would operate during a typical Atlas mission.

Astronautics has established an international teaming relationship with the RD AMROSS joint venture, that was formed by NPO Energomash and Pratt & Whitney, an operating unit of United Technologies Corporation to co-produce the RD-180 engines under exclusive contract for Lockheed Martin.

In May, a prototype Atlas III booster stage, including an RD-180 engine, will be fired on a test stand at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. This will be the first Russian-built rocket engine to be test fired at a U.S. government facility.

Atlas now has a backlog of 23 launch commitments through the year 2001 and has launched a total of 47 satellites since the rocket was first offered as a commercial launcher in the 1980s.

Atlas is marketed by International Launch Services (ILS), a joint venture company established in 1995 to jointly market the Russian Proton and the Lockheed Martin Astronautics-built Atlas to the worldwide satellite launch market. ILS is owned by Lockheed Martin Corporation's Commercial Launch Services and the company's LKEI joint venture with Khrunichev and RSC Energia in Russia. Proton is built by Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center in Moscow. The backlog for Atlas and Proton totals more than $3.5 billion.

Lockheed Martin

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