Titan 23B
Encyclopedia
Titan IIIB was the collective name for a number of derivatives of the Titan II ICBM and Titan III
launch vehicle
, modified by the addition of an Agena
upper stage. It consisted of four separate rockets. The Titan 23B was a basic Titan II with an Agena upper stage, and the Titan 24B was the same concept, but using the slightly enlarged Titan IIIM rocket as the base. The Titan 33B was a Titan 23B with the Agena (which had a smaller diameter than the Titan) enclosed in an enlarged fairing
, in order to allow larger payloads to be launched. The final member of the Titan IIIB family was the Titan 34B which was a Titan 24B with the larger fairing used on the Titan 33B.
reconnaissance) satellites.
Various models of this Titan/Agena D
rocket were called, "Titan 23B", "Titan 24B", "Titan 33B" and "Titan 34B".
a contract to build an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). It became known as the Titan I
, the nation’s first two-stage ICBM and first underground silo-based ICBM. More than 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. The Titan 23B is a derivative of the Titan II vehicle with an Agena D upper stage added.
On 16 February 1972, a Titan III(33)B failed to achieve orbit carrying a Jumpseat
satellite. Another failure occurred later the same year, when on 20 May a Titan III(24)B failed to achieve orbit with another Gambit 3. Another Titan III(24)B failed to place a Gambit 3 into orbit on 26 June 1973, this time because of the Agena malfunctioning.
Titan III
The Titan IIIC was a space booster used by the United States Air Force. It was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL., and Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA. It was planned to be used as a launch vehicle in the cancelled Dyna-Soar and Manned Orbiting Laboratory programs...
launch vehicle
Launch vehicle
In spaceflight, a launch vehicle or carrier rocket is a rocket used to carry a payload from the Earth's surface into outer space. A launch system includes the launch vehicle, the launch pad and other infrastructure....
, modified by the addition of an Agena
RM-81 Agena
The RM-81 Agena was an American rocket upper stage and satellite support bus which was developed by Lockheed initially for the canceled WS-117L reconnaissance satellite program...
upper stage. It consisted of four separate rockets. The Titan 23B was a basic Titan II with an Agena upper stage, and the Titan 24B was the same concept, but using the slightly enlarged Titan IIIM rocket as the base. The Titan 33B was a Titan 23B with the Agena (which had a smaller diameter than the Titan) enclosed in an enlarged fairing
Payload fairing
Payload fairing is one of the main components of a launch vehicle. The fairing protects the payload during the ascent against the impact of the atmosphere . More recently, an additional function is to maintain the cleanroom environment for precision instruments.Outside the atmosphere the fairing is...
, in order to allow larger payloads to be launched. The final member of the Titan IIIB family was the Titan 34B which was a Titan 24B with the larger fairing used on the Titan 33B.
Titan 23B
Titan 23B is a medium-lift space launch vehicle used to carry payloads for the Air Force. The Titan 23B was launched from Vandenberg AFB, Calif. Its main payload was the GAMBIT (KH-8KH-8
The KH-8, codenamed Gambit 3 was a long-lived series of reconnaissance satellites of the "Key Hole" series used by the United States from July 1966 to April 1984, and also known as Low Altitude Surveillance Platform. The satellite ejected canisters of photographic film that were retrieved as they...
reconnaissance) satellites.
Features
The Titan 23B space launch vehicle was a three-stage liquid fueled booster, designed to provide a small-to-medium weight class capability. It is able to lift approximately 3,000 kg (7,500 lb) 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 an LR91 liquid propellant rocket. The third stage is an Agena D XLR81-BA-9 liquid propellant rocket.Various models of this Titan/Agena D
RM-81 Agena
The RM-81 Agena was an American rocket upper stage and satellite support bus which was developed by Lockheed initially for the canceled WS-117L reconnaissance satellite program...
rocket were called, "Titan 23B", "Titan 24B", "Titan 33B" and "Titan 34B".
Background
The Titan rocket family was established in October 1955, when the Air Force awarded The Martin CompanyGlenn L. Martin Company
The Glenn L. Martin Company was an American aircraft and aerospace manufacturing company that was founded by the aviation pioneer Glenn L. Martin. The Martin Company produced many important aircraft for the defense of the United States and its allies, especially during World War II and the Cold War...
a contract to build an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). It became known as the Titan I
Titan I
The Martin Marietta SM-68A/HGM-25A Titan I was the United States' first multistage ICBM . Incorporating the latest design technology when designed and manufactured, the Titan I provided an additional nuclear deterrent to complement the U.S. Air Force's SM-65 Atlas missile...
, the nation’s first two-stage ICBM and first underground silo-based ICBM. More than 140 Titan II ICBMs, once the vanguard of America’s strategic deterrent force, were built. Titan IIs also were flown in NASA’s Gemini
Project Gemini
Project Gemini was the second human spaceflight program of NASA, the civilian space agency of the United States government. Project Gemini was conducted between projects Mercury and Apollo, with ten manned flights occurring in 1965 and 1966....
manned space program in the mid-1960s. The Titan 23B is a derivative of the Titan II vehicle with an Agena D upper stage added.
- Primary function: Launch vehicle used to lift medium class satellites into space
- Builder: The Martin CompanyGlenn L. Martin CompanyThe Glenn L. Martin Company was an American aircraft and aerospace manufacturing company that was founded by the aviation pioneer Glenn L. Martin. The Martin Company produced many important aircraft for the defense of the United States and its allies, especially during World War II and the Cold War...
- Launch site: Vandenberg AFB, Calif.
- First stage: Length: 70 ft (21 m)
- Diameter: 10 feet
- Engine thrust: 474,000 lbf (2,108 kN) vacuum
- Weight: 258,000 lb (117,020 kg) Fueled
- Empty weight: 10,500 lb (4,760 kg)
- Second stage: Length: 24 ft (7.3 m)
- Diameter: 10 ft (3.0 m)
- Engine Thrust: 100,000 lbf (445 kN) vacuum
- Weight: 64,000 lb (29,030 kg) Fueled
- Empty weight: 6,100 lb (2,760 kg)
- Third stage: Length: 24.8 ft (7.6 m)
- Diameter: 5 ft (1.5 m)
- Engine thrust: 16,000 lbf (71 kN) vacuum
- Weight: 7160 kg (15800 lb) - fueled
- Empty Weight: 2300 lb (1045 kg)
- Guidance: Inertial
- Subcontractor: Delco Electronics
- Payload fairing: Diameter: 5 ft (1.5 m)
- Length: 20 to 25 ft (6.1 to 7.6 m)
- Skin and Stringer Construction Tri-Sector Design
- Subcontractor: BoeingBoeingThe Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
- Date deployed: July 1966
Titan 24B
The Titan 24B differed from the Titan 23B in that the stretched Titan IIIM core was used in place of the original Titan II core.Titan 33B
The Titan 33B was a Titan 23B with a larger payload fairing, which sat atop the second stage, enclosing the Agena, rather than atop the Agena, as had been flown on the 23B and 24B.Titan 34B
The Titan 34B was a Titan 24B, modified by the addition of the larger fairing used on the Titan 33B.Failures
Titan IIIB rockets suffered four outright failures, and a partial failure. The first failure occurred on 26 April 1967, when the second stage of a Titan III(23)B lost thrust during the launch of a Gambit 3 satellite. The next launch, on 20 June 1967 was a partial failure; due to a problem with the protective skirt on the second stage, a lower-than-planned orbit was achieved.On 16 February 1972, a Titan III(33)B failed to achieve orbit carrying a Jumpseat
Jumpseat (satellite)
Jumpseat, also known as AFP-711 is reportedly a code name for a class of SIGINT reconnaissance satellites operated by the National Reconnaissance Office for the United States Air Force in the 1970s and 1980s...
satellite. Another failure occurred later the same year, when on 20 May a Titan III(24)B failed to achieve orbit with another Gambit 3. Another Titan III(24)B failed to place a Gambit 3 into orbit on 26 June 1973, this time because of the Agena malfunctioning.
See also
- Titan (rocket family)Titan (rocket family)Titan was a family of U.S. expendable rockets used between 1959 and 2005. A total of 368 rockets of this family were launched, including all the Project Gemini manned flights of the mid-1960s...
- KH-8KH-8The KH-8, codenamed Gambit 3 was a long-lived series of reconnaissance satellites of the "Key Hole" series used by the United States from July 1966 to April 1984, and also known as Low Altitude Surveillance Platform. The satellite ejected canisters of photographic film that were retrieved as they...
GAMBIT reconnaissance satellite.