Titan II (U)
Overview (U):
(U) Titan II is a medium-lift space launch vehicle used to carry payloads for USAF, NASA and NOAA. These payloads include the USAF Defense Meterological Satellite Program (DMSP) and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Agency's (NOAA) Polar Orbit Environmental Satellite (POES) weather spacecraft launches into low earth orbit (LEO). Previous missions have included some classified missions and the Clementine mission to map the moon and attempted intercept of the asteroid Geographis. Plans for a Clementine II mission are in the works. Titan II has a six for six (100%) success record.
Details (U):
Description User Impact Programmatics Images Related Initiatives Related Requirements Related Categories Road Map Placements Additional Hotlinks Lead Office POC
Description (U):
(U) The Titan family was established in October 1955, when the U.S. Air Force awarded the then Martin Company a contract to build an ICBM. It became known as the Titan I, the nation's first two-stage ICBM and first underground silo-based ICBM. Over 140 Titan II ICBMs, once the vanguard of America's strategic deterrent force, were built. Titan IIs also were flown in NASA's Gemini manned space program in the mid-1960s.
(U) The Titan II vehicles are decommissioned intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) that have been refurbished and equipped with hardware required for use as space launch vehicles. The Martin Marietta Astronautics Group was awarded a contract in January 1986 to refurbish, integrate, and launch fourteen Titan II ICBMs for government space launch requirements.
(U) Tasks involved in converting the Titan II ICBMs into space launch vehicles include modifying the forward structure of the second stage to accommodate payload; manufacturing a new 10-foot diameter payload fairing with variable lengths plus payload adapters; refurbishing the Titan's liquid rocket engines; upgrading the inertial guidance system; developing command, destruct and telemetry systems; modifying Vandenberg AFB, CA., Space Launch Complex-4 West to conduct the launches; and performing payload integration. Deactivation of the Titan II ICBM system began in July of 1982 and was completed in June of 1987. The deactivated missiles are now in storage over at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ.
(U) The Titan II space launch vehicle is a two-stage liquid fueled booster, designed to provide a small-to-medium weight class capability. It is able to lift approximately 4,200 pounds into a polar low-Earth circular orbit. The first stage consists of a ground ignited LR87 liquid propellant rocket, while the second stage consists of a LR91 liquid propellant rocket.
(U) The Air Force successfully launched the first Titan II space launch vehicle from Vandenberg on Sept. 5, 1988.
(U) Additional Information:
- (U) Builder - Lockheed-Martin Astronautics.
- (U) Launch site - Vandenberg AFB, California.
- (U) First stage - Length: 70 feet; Diameter: 10 feet; Engine Thrust: 474,000 pounds (vacuum)
- (U) Second stage - Length: 24 feet; Diameter: 10 feet; Engine Thrust:100,000 pounds (vacuum)
- (U) Guidance - Inertial with Digital Computers
- (U) Subcontractor - Delco Electronics
- (U) Payload fairing - Diameter: 10 feet; Length: 20 feet
- (U) Skin and Stringer Construction - Tri-Sector Design
- (U) Subcontractor - McDonnell Douglas
- (U) Liquid rocket engines - Refurbished Titan II ICBM Engines
- (U) Date deployed - September 1988
- (U) Inventory: Active Force: 8, ANG: 0, Reserve: 0User Impact (U):
(U) Provides medium-lift capability to launch weather and exploratory satellites which support DoD and national requirements.
Programmatics (U):
(U) Operational.
Images (U):
Name Title Titan II Titan II Launch Vehicle Titan IIa Titan IIa This Table Is Unclassified. Related Initiatives (U):
Name Title Arnold Engineer Dev Cntr (AEDC) Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) DMSP Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) NPOESS National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) POES Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite (POES) Western Range Western Range This Table Is Unclassified. Related Requirements (U):None.
Related Categories (U):
Name Title Launch DoD Space Launch Programs Launch Vehicles Launch Vehicles Spacelift Spacelift This Table Is Unclassified. Road Map Placements (U):
Name Title Major DoD Space Programs Evolution of the Selected Space Programs National Security Space Road Map Integrated System Road Map SPACE FORCES SUPPORT SPACE FORCES SUPPORT This Table Is Unclassified. Requirements, Funding and Additional Hotlinks (U):
Lead Office (U):
(U) Air Force.
(U) DoD: USD (A&T) and OASD(C3I), Pentagon, Washington, DC
(U) Service Staff: SAF/AQS, Pentagon, Washington, DC
(U) Major Command: AFMC/SMC, Los Angeles AFB, CA
(U) Program Management: AF PEO/Space; Launch Programs System Program Office, Los Angeles AFB, CAPoint of Contact (U):
(U) Col Charles Crain III, SMC, Open Phone: DSN 833-0210.
Date Of Information (U):
(U) 04 November 1997
(U) Road Map Production Date: 12 July 1999
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