| Titan Family | ||
|---|---|---|
Titan II launching a Gemini spacecraft. | ||
| Titan I | ||
| Stages | 2 | |
| 1 | Engines | 1 x LR87-AJ-3 |
| Thrust | 300,000 lbs | |
| Burn time | 140 sec | |
| Fuels | RP-1/LOX | |
| 2 | Engines | 1 x LR91-AJ-3 |
| Thrust | 80,000 lbs | |
| Burn time | 155 sec | |
| Fuels | RP-1/LOX | |
| Payload to LEO | 4,000 lbs | |
| Payload to GTO | ||
| Titan II | ||
| Stages | 2 (nominally) | |
| 1 | Engines | 1 x LR87-AJ-5 |
| Thrust | 430,000 lbs | |
| Burn time | ||
| Fuels | A-50 hydrazine/N204 | |
| 2 | Engines | 1 x LR91-AJ-5 |
| Thrust | 100,000 lbs | |
| Burn time | ||
| Fuels | A-50 hydrazine/N204 | |
| Payload to LEO | 4,200 lbs | |
| Payload to GTO | ||
| Titan III | ||
| Stages | 3 | |
| 0 | Engines | Solid Rocket Motors |
| Thrust | ||
| Burn time | ||
| Fuels | ||
| 1 | Engines | 1 * LR87-AJ-11 |
| Thrust | ||
| Burn time | ||
| Fuels | A-50/N204 | |
| 2 | Engines | 1 * LR91-AJ-11 |
| Thrust | ||
| Burn time | ||
| Fuels | A-50/N204 | |
| Payload to LEO | 23,000 lbs | |
| Payload to GTO | ||
| Titan IVA | ||
| Stages | 3 | |
| 0 | Engines | Solid Rocket Motors |
| Thrust | ||
| Burn time | ||
| Fuels | ||
| 1 | Engines | 1 * LR87-AJ-11 |
| Thrust | 511,200 lbs average | |
| Burn time | ||
| Fuels | A-50/N204 | |
| 2 | Engines | 1 * LR91-AJ-11 |
| Thrust | 106,150 lbs average | |
| Burn time | ||
| Fuels | A-50/N204 | |
| Payload to LEO | 39,100 lbs | |
| Payload to GTO | 10,000 lbs | |
| Titan IVB | ||
| Stages | 3 | |
| 0 | Engines | Solid Rocket Motors |
| Thrust | 1,700,000 lbs each | |
| Burn time | ||
| Fuels | 88% HTP | |
| 1 | Engines | 1 * LR87-AJ-11 |
| Thrust | 511,200 lbs average | |
| Burn time | ||
| Fuels | A-50/N204 | |
| 2 | Engines | 1 * LR91-AJ-11 |
| Thrust | 106,150 lbs average | |
| Burn time | ||
| Fuels | A-50/N204 | |
| Payload to LEO | 47,800 lbs | |
| Payload to GTO | 12,700 lbs | |
Titan is a family of US expendable rockets.
Most Titan rockets are derivatives of the Titan II ICBM. The Titan II is a hypergolicly-fueled two-stage ICBM used by the US Air Force from the mid 1960s to the mid 1980s. In the late 80s some of the deactivated Titan IIs were converted into space launch vehicles to be used launching US Government payloads. The final such vehicle launched an NOAA weather satellite from Vandenberg AFB in 2003. Titan IIs were also used to launch the US manned Gemini capsules.
The Titan III is a stretched Titan II with optional solid rocket boosters. It was developed by the US Air Force as a heavy-lift satellite launcher to be used mainly to launch US Military payloads such as DSP early-warning, Intelligence (ie. Spy), and defense communications satellites. It was also used to launch some NASA scientific probes such as the Voyagerss.
The Titan IV is a stretched Titan III with non-optional solid rocket boosters. It is almost exclusively used to launch US Military payloads, though it was also used to launch NASA's Galileo and Cassini probes to Jupiter and Saturn after the Shuttle-Centaur program was canceled following the loss of Challenger. Titan IV is the largest launch vehicle flying as of 2003. It is extremely expensive to operate.
The Titan I is the odd-duckling of the Titan family. It was the USs second ICBM project. It is a two-stage rocket powered by RP-1 and LOX. It was developed as an alternative or backup to the US's first ICBM, the Atlas. However it was quickly noticed that RP-1/LOX liquid rockets do not make very good missiles (they cannot be stored fueled) and was therefore quickly replaced by the somewhat better Titan II (a hypergolic rocket can be stored fueled). Titan II was, however, not a highly successful ICBM either. It was in turn quickly outpaced by the Minuteman solid fueled ICBM. Approximately 50 Titan IIs were fielded along with some 1000 Minutemen.
As of 2003 the end of the Titan family of rockets is in sight. Three Titan IVBs remain to be launched. No more have been ordered. The current owners of the Titan line (Lockheed-Martin) have decided to extend their Atlas family of rockets instead of the Titans. By 2005 the Titans will likely be extinct.