The Centaur familyThe Centaur upper stage has been used with Atlas and Titan boosters for a total of 66 launches, and is now being considered for future use with the Space Shuttle. Centaur's high-energy oxygen-hydrogen propellant combination provides the maximum performance capability for launching geosynchronous and earth-escape missions with both boosters. Shuttle/Centaur performance, combined with the demonstrated low-thrust operating capability of the Centaur engines, will allow gentle transfer of large communications spacecraft into geostationary orbit, thus significantly increasing the economies of communication satellites. This paper presents Centaur configurations, payload capabilities, and payload envelopes for future applications.
Document ID
19820061116
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Rector, W. F., III (General Dynamics Corp. Convair Div., San Diego, CA, United States)